Keep Me Warm
by sheepish123
Summary: The SVU gang get stranded together at Olivia's apartment during a weekend winter storm. Between the ridiculous amount of alcohol consumption, the heat going out, and the flu being passed around, the situation starts to spiral out of control very quickly and Olivia has her hands full trying to deal with her badly behaved detectives. Team friendship fic. Three-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**This story was a challenge to myself to write something light and fluffy, since most of my stuff has been dark and angsty so far, so this is what I came up with. Since the characters spend the majority of this chapter drunk, annoying, and childish, this story is pretty silly so far, lol. Takes place in season 17, although Noah and Jesse don't exist, and I haven't written Barba, Tucker, or either of the Dodds into the story, as I just wanted to concentrate on the core characters. Everyone is pretty OOC in this fic.  
**

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Olivia Benson stands in her apartment at the door to her balcony, watching the snow swirl throughout the frigid New York streets. It is a dark and cold Friday evening in the city, and the forecast is calling for a snowstorm to hit over the weekend but it looks like they have a day or two before things get really bad. The snow is drifting down in soft white flakes right now, swirling gently underneath the streetlamps and lending an ethereal, magical quality to the streets where they do their tough and gritty jobs.

She is waiting for her colleagues to arrive, having decided to invite them over for a pleasant get-together after a rough week at work and before they get more snow; and the apartment is glowing in the soft lamplight, wine and cheese set out on the coffee table and quiet music playing on the radio. The setting is perfect for a nice, relaxing evening with her co-workers, except for one minor detail.

The temperature in the apartment has been on the fritz for the past week now, sometimes heating up so high that Olivia has to strip down to her underwear the second she walks in the door, and other times plunging down so low that she has to pile every blanket she can find onto her bed before she goes to sleep at night. Unfortunately, the latter is the problem at the moment, the apartment quite chilly since she had arrived home a couple of hours earlier, and it doesn't bode well for the weather they are having as New York is currently caught in a bitter cold snap.

She has called the superintendent of her building a couple of times over the past several days to see what the issue is and when it will be fixed, but hasn't heard anything back yet and has been far too busy with their current caseload to follow up on the issue. Olivia hasn't been home enough over the past few days for it to be a major concern yet, but she doesn't want her colleagues to be uncomfortable while they are here, so she lights some candles and sets them up throughout the living room and kitchen, hoping to create a bit more warmth and add a lovely smell and ambience to the setting.

Her buzzer sounds as she is lighting the last candle and she hurries to answers it, Fin and Carisi down in the lobby, having carpooled together. She is surprised at the amount of alcohol and junk food they bring in with them upon arriving in her unit a few minutes later, their arms laden down with booze and bags of chips, immediately remarking on how cold it is in the apartment. They are piling everything onto the kitchen table and counters when the buzzer sounds again, signalling Amanda's arrival, and Olivia frowning slightly when she thinks she hears a bark after the blonde detective's voice comes through the speaker.

"Did Amanda bring her dog?" she asks suspiciously, feeling a bit confused as she turns around to regard her co-workers with her arms crossed in front of her.

Fin shrugs, looking like he either doesn't know or doesn't care, but Carisi looks a little sheepish, and Olivia raises her eyebrows at him expectantly.

"She said Frannie hasn't been feeling well and she didn't want to leave her home alone for the evening," he explains a bit timidly. "She's really sorry she had to bring her, though."

"Well, she could have just stayed home and joined us another time," Olivia replies with a sigh, thinking that this is yet another example of how Amanda seems to ask for forgiveness instead of permission. "This building doesn't allow dogs."

There is a knock on the door, followed by a slight scratching sound, and Olivia rolls her eyes as she strides over to answer it, Amanda standing there with a giant bottle of wine in one hand and Frannie's leash in the other. The dog is sitting patiently on the floor by the other woman's feet and both of them look up at her, Amanda smiling cheerfully with a note of hesitance in her expression, Frannie's tongue lolling out of her mouth and fur dusted with a light layer of snow.

"Hey, Liv," the detective says brightly, thrusting the bottle at her and taking a step inside with Frannie right on her heels.

"Amanda..." Olivia trails off, arching an eyebrow and gesturing down at the other woman's pet. "You could have asked first, you know."

"Well, yeah, but I figured you would say no," Amanda replies casually, a slight blush creeping across her pale cheeks. "Frannie's a little under the weather so I didn't want to leave her at home, and I also didn't want to spend the night alone while all of you were over here having fun."

Before Olivia can respond, Amanda is all the way inside, shrugging out of her giant winter coat and pulling the woolly hat off her head, long blonde hair standing on end for a moment before she smooths it down. She strides into the kitchen to say hello to Fin and Carisi while Frannie immediately plops down onto the couch, rolling over onto her side and making herself at home.

Olivia shakes her head as she looks at the dog and then takes the bottle of wine into the kitchen, deciding to be a good sport about it and not complain. Amanda definitely has an irritating quality about her and is good at getting under her skin, but she doesn't want to get the evening started off on a bad note, so she strikes up a cheerful conversation with her detectives. They stand around in front of the counter for several minutes, chatting and pouring glasses of wine and opening bottles of beer and bags of chips, before moving back into the living room and taking seats around the coffee table, Amanda shooing Frannie onto the floor.

Olivia rolls her eyes as the dog starts nibbling on the cheese she had set out to go with the wine, but then realizing there is again no point in complaining, as her colleagues are currently scarfing down beer and chips as if their lives depend on it, Fin already having turned the radio to a hardcore rap station and Carisi dropping chips onto the carpet as he eats, and she guesses that a quiet, classy evening is just not in the cards tonight.

They spend the next little while chatting about their current cases at work, until Olivia makes an effort to steer the topic of conversation in another direction, just wanting to enjoy a light, fun evening with her colleagues and have a break from the horror and stress they have to deal with on a daily basis. Fin is telling a funny story about his son when Amanda gets up from the couch, wandering away from the group while chugging her bottle of beer, and walks around the room, peering at photographs and other knick-knacks that Olivia has displayed before opening the door of a nearby closet.

"Oops, I thought this was the bathroom," she chuckles, already slurring her words a little, when Olivia starts to protest about the younger woman going through her things.

"The bathroom is down the hall," she replies with a stern gesture of her hand, but Amanda has stopped short, the blonde detective breaking into sudden laughter at what she sees inside the closet.

"Oh my god, guys, check this out," she says to Fin and Carisi. "Liv has Twister and a karaoke machine in here!" She turns to look at Olivia, one eyebrow quirked in amusement. "Is this what you do when you're not at work, Liv? Sing and play Twister all by yourself? That's kind of sad."

"Don't be ridiculous, Amanda," she mutters in annoyance. "The Twister game is from my college days, and the karaoke machine was a silly birthday present I got years back. It's never been used."

"Well, let's use it!" Carisi enthuses, and Amanda nods encouragingly as she agrees with him.

Fin looks a little less enthused but murmurs his agreement as well, and Olivia sighs while throwing an aggravated look at Amanda.

"I don't even know how to use this thing," she grumbles in protest, walking over to the closet and lifting it off the shelf.

"I know how to use it," Carisi assures her. "We have an old one just like that, and we use at all of our family parties. I'll get it set up."

"And we should play Twister too," Amanda suggests brightly.

"You know, I don't really feel comfortable playing Twister with my subordinates," Olivia replies dryly. "But knock yourselves out with the karaoke machine."

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For the next few hours, they eat and drink and sing, sharing silly stories of their youth, and Olivia gradually finds herself relaxing and unwinding, actually participating in the singing and doing duets with each one of her colleagues; getting up the courage to sing a few songs herself after there is an acceptable amount of alcohol in her system. It feels wonderful to be so carefree; a much-needed break for all of them from the precinct, from the hellish hours they have been putting in lately. The only issue is the persistent cold that seems to have settled into the apartment for good, but they have been doing an adequate job of keeping warm with all of the high-energy singing and drinking.

Her good mood is suddenly broken when Fin lets out a stunned, "Oh, shit," from the balcony door.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asks with trepidation, twisting around on the couch to look at him.

He is standing by the door, holding the closed curtains back with one hand as he peers outside. "Uh, we appear to have gotten some snow over the past few hours," he replies with a tinge of awe in his tone.

Olivia gets up from the couch with a frown, hurrying over to the door with Amanda and Carisi right behind her.

"Uh oh, where the hell did our cars go?" Amanda laughs in surprise, pointing to the road below. "Look, they've disappeared."

Olivia stares down at the streets in disbelief, stunned that they have been so busy drinking and goofing off that they hadn't noticed how just bad the weather was getting. The cars below them are so covered in snow, they look like giant shapeless white mounds sticking up out of the ground, and the snow on the balcony is starting to pile up quite high against the door. A slight feeling of resentment curls through her as she realizes that her colleagues will likely be spending the night now, and her frown becomes deeper as she regards the vicious winds blowing the snow around in a white tornado, suddenly feeling the exhaustion from the week settling over her and wishing everyone was leaving soon.

"I thought the storm wasn't supposed to hit until sometime over the weekend," Olivia murmurs, trying not sound too disgruntled with the situation. "That's what all the weather stations have been saying. We were only supposed to get a light dusting tonight."

"Well, I think they were wrong," Carisi chuckles in amusement.

"Looks like this has turned into a sleepover party," Fin mutters, sounding less than enthused, but the others seem unperturbed by this turn of events, returning to the karaoke machine and picking out another song as they down more of the booze.

Since her team won't be returning home until at least the next day and the apartment is steadily becoming more frigid as the hours go on, Olivia tries several more times to get in touch with her superintendent despite the late hour, but doesn't have any success and finally gives up for the night, resolving to try again as soon as she gets up the next day.

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When the clock has ticked over from Friday night to Saturday morning and the hours continue to pass, the younger members of their group are still going strong, belting out song after song on the karaoke machine and slowing no signs of slowing down with the alcohol, and Olivia has to warn them more than once about the volume of their voices and the music as it gets later. She doesn't want any noise complaints from the neighbors, although it does briefly occur to her that she may finally be able to get her superintendent's attention if there are enough complaints called in to her.

She has been sipping steadily on wine all evening, creating a pleasant buzz in her system, but her co-workers have been mixing everything that has been brought to their little get together and they have become quite a bit more inebriated as the hours have passed. Fin has probably imbibed the most but he holds his liquor fairly well and has been acting more or less himself, but Amanda and Carisi are another story, both sloppy drunk, and they seem to be taking turns laughing hysterically with each other and then arguing quite heatedly about a variety of topics, Olivia just watching them and shaking her head slightly.

They are currently snarling back and forth at one another about some ridiculous reality TV show they both watch, but then abruptly end the argument when Fin switches to another song on the karaoke machine, raising the microphones to their lips and singing their hearts out, only to pick right back up where they had left off with their fight as soon as the song has ended.

"Oh, geez," Fin sighs, slumped onto the couch beside Olivia with Frannie's head resting in his lap, taking a sip from his bottle of beer. "Liv, I think it's time to put the young'uns to bed. My ears are ringing from all the off-key singing and fighting."

"You know we're not that young, Fin," Amanda points out, taking a break from her argument with Carisi to glance over at her partner.

"Yeah, you're just old," Carisi adds, and Amanda cackles with laughter before agreeing with him.

"I think we should all be going to bed now," Olivia says tiredly, getting to her feet. The room spins around her for a moment and she steadies herself on Fin's arm as he stands up beside her.

"You okay there, boss?" he asks with a hint of amusement in his voice, and Olivia nods, seeing the grins on Amanda and Carisi's faces.

"I'm fine," she replies, a little more curtly than she had intended. "We need to decide where everyone is going to sleep. There's a spare bedroom available." She looks over at Amanda, the blonde detective still clutching onto her microphone like she is ready to break into song again. "Amanda, I guess you can share with me."

She is not feeling enthused about the idea and figures that it shows on her face when the smaller woman frowns at her, looking slightly hurt. She is used to sleeping alone for the most part, and the other woman is ridiculously drunk at this point and she doesn't relish sharing a bed with her, but doesn't want any of her detectives sleeping on the floor.

"Well, you could show a little more enthusiasm, Liv," Amanda murmurs in an offended, pouty tone. "I don't have cooties, you know."

"Hey, don't complain about having to share with Amanda," Carisi pipes up. "You're the lucky one, Liv. I have to share with this guy," he adds, jerking a thumb in Fin's direction.

Fin regards the younger detective with raised eyebrows. "Uh, hell, no, Carisi, that's not happening. We're not sharing a bed. You're taking the couch." He points over to the piece of furniture that is currently covered in chip crumbs and still occupied by Frannie, who is twitching restlessly in her sleep.

"What? Why do I have to take the couch?" Carisi complains. "Why can't I have the bed in the spare room?"

"Because I'm an old man, as you so kindly pointed out earlier," Fin replies smugly. "Old men get beds. Younger men get couches."

Amanda laughs and Carisi gives her a shove before she shoves him back, and Olivia holds up her hand. "Alright, enough. It's late and I'm exhausted and I need to get under the covers before I freeze to death, so let's get a move on here. Fin and Carisi, I'm sorry, but I don't have anything you can wear for pajamas." She looks over at Amanda. "You can borrow something of mine, if you want, Amanda, so you don't have to sleep in your clothes." She gestures to the jeans and plaid shirt that the other woman is wearing and Amanda looks down at herself and shrugs.

"Oh, that's okay, Liv, I usually sleep naked," she says offhandedly, beginning to undo the buttons on her shirt.

"Whoa, hey there, how drunk are you?" Fin asks, his tone suddenly sharp as he reaches out to stop the small woman's movements. "You're not stripping in front of us and you're not sleeping naked in your boss' bed, got it? Pull yourself together, girl."

Amanda seems to realize what she had been about to do and blushes profusely, murmuring apologizes, and Olivia glares at Carisi when she sees the detective looking disappointed, muttering at him to get his mind out of the gutter.

She spends a few minutes getting the guys settled, trying the best she can to divide up every blanket in the apartment, the temperature feeling like it has continued to drop, before she and Amanda retire to her bedroom for the night, Frannie sneaking into the room just as she is shutting the door. She sighs but chooses not to say anything, and digs through her chest of drawers, trying to find something that she thinks will fit the smaller woman.

They get changed in silence and then climb into bed, burying themselves as deeply as they can under the covers, Frannie hopping up next to them. This time Olivia doesn't have the urge to complain, as the dog is providing extra warmth, and she finds herself moving closer to Amanda in the king-size bed, the temperature in the room seemingly colder than it was out in the living room, her fingers and toes feeling like they are starting to go numb. Amanda has gravitated toward her as well, shaking noticeably, and they huddle together while Olivia tries to keep her teeth from chattering.

"Liv," Amanda whispers a moment later. "Are you still awake?"

"Yes, I'm still awake, Amanda; we just went to bed," Olivia replies dryly.

"I'm really drunk," Amanda slurs and then hiccups loudly.

"Yeah, I'm a little drunk myself," Olivia says with a laugh.

"Can I tell you something?" Amanda whispers, her tone eager.

"Oooh, is it a secret?" Olivia whispers back, the alcohol and utter exhaustion from the past week of hard work mixing together to create a somewhat silly mood.

"Yes, a secret about my boss."

Olivia laughs again. "Amanda, _I'm_ your boss," she reminds the drunk woman.

"Yeah, it's a secret about you, Liv."

"Well, if it's a secret about me, maybe you shouldn't be telling me," Olivia snickers, even though she has to admit that she is a little curious now.

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyway," Amanda says in a stage whisper. She leans closer to Olivia, cupping her hands over her mouth as she speaks. "Don't get mad at me, but I like you better when you've been drinking."

Olivia raises her eyebrows, unsure of whether or not to be offended by this revelation. "That's it? That's the secret?"

"Yeah," Amanda replies, her tone serious. "You're nicer when you're drinking, Liv. Like, you actually know how to have fun?" The blonde woman says this last sentence as a question, like she is surprised that Olivia is capable of participating in an activity outside of the job and is able to enjoy herself. "Maybe you should start bringing alcohol to the precinct."

This last sentence is also said in a tone that is dead serious and Olivia looks over at the other woman, Amanda staring back at her with an unfocused gaze, and she just shakes her head and laughs. "You know, I don't think that will be happening. I'm guessing I wouldn't have a job for long if I did that."

"Ugh, but work would be so much more _fun_ , Liv," Amanda sighs in frustration. "You wouldn't be so mean to me all the time."

Olivia is frowning at her in surprise now, feeling a tendril of guilt curling through her alcohol-induced haze, but not sure why. "I'm mean to you?"

"Yeah, but it's okay," Amanda says offhandedly. "You're not mean now. Because you're _drinking_. Drinking is good, Liv. You're so nice right now."

"Um, thanks?" she finally says, the frown still fixed on her face.

"You're welcome," Amanda replies, grinning broadly at her, and Olivia can't help but smirk and roll her eyes, even if she feels a little hurt by the smaller woman's previous comment.

"Okay, let's try to get some sleep now," she says, closing her eyes and burying her face into the pillow.

"But I'm not tired, Liv, I'm bored," Amanda responds, a slight whine in her tone now. "I need to be entertained."

"Amanda, has anyone ever told you that you're a bit of an annoying, high-maintenance drunk?" Olivia sighs. "Not to mention a tad inappropriate?"

"Inappropriate?" Amanda snorts. "Just because I told you that you're mean? Liv, this is nothing. You should see me when I'm _really_ drunk."

"You know, I'm not sure that's something I really want to see," Olivia chuckles tiredly, recalling the other woman's lack of inhibition when it came to getting ready for bed earlier. "Go to sleep, alright?"

The smaller woman is finally silent and Olivia sighs in relief, hoping to fall into slumber fairly quickly, but she is slowly becoming aware of the fact that the bed is shaking with the force of the other woman's shivering, the movement seemingly getting more violent by the minute, and she frowns over at her. "It's not _that_ cold in here, Amanda. Are you alright?"

"I think I'm getting sick," Amanda moans. "But don't worry, I've been trying to kill whatever it is with all the alcohol."

Olivia rolls her eyes. "I don't think it works that way. And I'm so glad you're sharing my bed when you're sick," she adds sarcastically. "Another thing you neglected to mention until after the fact."

"I'm glad too, Liv," the blonde woman replies with a grin, obviously not picking up on the sarcasm.

Olivia shakes her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, feeling irritated with her colleague but can't help thinking that Amanda is being a little adorable right now, curled up beside her in the too-large pajamas, blonde hair mussed and a goofy, confused look on her face, as if she is not quite sure which emotion she is supposed to be feeling at the moment.

"Okay, it would be really nice if we could both get some sleep at some point tonight, so let's just settle down now," she suggests softly, feeling like she is dealing with a toddler who won't go to bed.

"Sure thing, Liv!" Amanda chirps, sounding ridiculously chipper for the wee hours of the morning and the amount of alcohol she has imbibed in, not to mention the fact that she now seems to be burdened with some kind of mystery illness.

Olivia blows out a breath and closes her eyes, hoping for some much-needed rest, but guessing correctly that it won't be silent for long.

"Liv, I'm colddddd," Amanda moans, a moment later. "And I'm hot. I'm hot and I'm cold. I don't like it."

"Amanda, you probably have a fever," Olivia replies. "But you can't take any medication for it until the morning. You've had too much to drink. I think you're just going to have to put up with it for now."

"I don't wanna put up with it," Amanda pouts, and before Olivia can respond, there is a knock at the door.

"Oh, geez," she mutters under her breath, before calling out to whomever it is to come in.

The door swings open and Carisi pokes his head into the room, still appearing quite inebriated and looking a little sheepish. "Hey, guys."

"Hello, Carisi," Olivia says tiredly. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Well, yeah," he replies, sounding very hesitant. "It's so cold in the living room, I can't feel my hands and feet. I don't want to push the boundaries or anything, but..." he trails off, fixing Olivia with a pleading look.

"Carisi, Liv and I were having some girl time," Amanda says curtly. "She's being nice to me tonight. And you're interrupting us."

"Oh, don't start that again," Olivia mutters. "And we're not having girl time. We were trying to go to sleep."

"Sorry for interrupting," Carisi says guiltily, and Olivia can still detect a slight slur in his voice. "It's just so cold..."

"Carisi, be honest, okay? Why did you _really_ come in here?" Amanda asks, her tone suggestive.

"Amanda," Olivia replies in a warning voice, realizing immediately where this conversation is heading.

"I'm thinking of a word that starts with a 'T' and end with a 'some'..." the blonde woman trails off.

"Amanda!" Olivia exclaims, biting down on a sudden laugh and chastising herself for being amused. She knows her sober self would be appalled by this discussion, but she finds herself on the verge of a full blown laugh attack and tries to reign herself in, unable to believe the audacity of her drunk colleague. "You are extremely inappropriate when you've been drinking!"

Carisi is standing there with a stricken look on his face now and his hands raised in the air as if he has done something wrong. "Liv, I swear that wasn't why I came in here. I'm just freezing to death, that's all."

"I know that, Carisi," Olivia sighs, rolling her eyes. "Just ignore her."

"Um, is it okay if I join you guys?" he asks, sounding extremely uncertain now as he gestures toward the bed. "If not, it's totally cool. I just don't think I've ever been this cold in my entire life, that's all."

"Yes, it's fine," Olivia sighs again, closing her eyes briefly and wondering if she will be able to get any sleep at all that night. "We wouldn't want you to freeze to death."

"God forbid Carisi gets a little chilly," Amanda teases and then bursts out laughing when his foot catches on the corner of the bed and he stumbles, practically falling into Frannie, who is curled up by Olivia's feet.

The dog gives an indignant howl before leaping off the bed and pacing around in the corner of the bedroom, and Olivia sees Amanda sit up straight under the covers next to her.

"Hey, don't hurt my dog," the blonde woman snaps, instantly switching from levity to anger, and she reaches over to lay a hand on her arm.

"It was an accident, Amanda," Olivia says softly. "Frannie is fine."

"Well, maybe if Carisi wouldn't drink so much..." Amanda mutters, trailing off, and Carisi snorts, stumbling once more as he tries yet again to climb into the bed with them.

"Oh, you're one to talk," Amanda," he sneers, yanking the blankets back more firmly than they need to be.

"You just watch those hands, Carisi," Amanda murmurs as he gets under the covers next to her.

"I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole, lady," he snarls, and Olivia feels the bed shake as Carisi turns over roughly onto his side to face away from them. "You're annoying as hell, you know that?"

"Alright, enough, you two," she groans. "Just try to get along, okay?"

"He started it," she hears Amanda whisper, and is about to snap back a response, prepared to chastise them both for acting like children, when there is another soft knock on the bedroom door.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Fin says, poking his head into the room, and Olivia can see him squinting into the darkness, looking a little unsteady on his feet. "God, it's fucking _freezing_ in this place."

"Fin? When did you get here?" Amanda asks in confusion.

"Oh, geez," Fin mutters. "I've been here the whole night, Amanda. I was just in the next room, but it's so damn cold, I can't sleep."

"Well, I certainly hope you didn't come in here for the same reason Carisi did," she murmurs.

"That reason was to get warm," Carisi snaps, still sounding annoyed. "And I'm pretty sure he _did_ come in here for that reason. I can practically see my breath now."

"You might as well join us, Fin," Olivia says wearily, motioning for him to come all the way into the room.

"Oh, _hell,_ no _,_ " Fin says with a groan, stepping inside and stopping dead in his tracks with his arms crossed over his chest when he sees them all lined up across the bed. "This is just wrong."

"Fin, it's a slumber party!" Amanda exclaims gleefully.

"Oh, please tell me we're not doing this," Fin mutters, although he climbs into the bed on the other side of Carisi as he speaks, and Olivia figures the cold must really be getting to him. "I'm so glad there's still enough booze swimming through my system to make this somewhat less disturbing." There is a brief pause. "Let's just get one thing straight, okay? This will never be spoken of again after tonight."

"What happens in Liv's bed stays in Liv's bed," Amanda snickers.

"There won't be anything happening in this bed expect sleep," Olivia replies firmly. She is starting to sober up very quickly now that she realizes she will likely be sharing a bed with three of her subordinates and one of their pets for the remainder of the night, as it is too cold for them to go back to their separate sleeping quarters. She just wants everyone to settle down, wishing there was a less awkward and inappropriate way to keep warm.

Carisi laughs. "And it's probably going to be spoken of tomorrow night too. I think we're going to be stuck here all weekend at least."

"Jesus," Olivia mutters, running her hands over her face.

"Liv, aren't you so glad you invited us all over?" Amanda says cheerily. "Imagine if you had to be all alone during this storm?"

"Yeah, imagine that," Olivia sighs.

It is quiet for a few minutes as everyone gets settled in, and then Amanda is giggling for no apparent reason and Olivia can feel Carisi shifting around restlessly, giving a sigh of annoyance, and can hear Fin muttering angrily to himself on the other side of the bed.

"Oh my god, will someone please shut her up?" he finally says, when the blonde woman shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. "What the hell is so damn funny, Amanda?"

"Liv, I'm drunk," the small detective says to her, either not hearing Fin's question or choosing to ignore him.

"Yes, I know you are," she says, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice. "I think that much is obvious, Amanda."

Carisi suddenly lets out a loud burp, apologizing profusely afterwards with Fin snapping at him to grow up, and Amanda can't seem to get a hold of herself now, the giggling out of control.

Olivia is exhausted and cranky and feeling quite cramped in the bed, even though she has to admit that there is finally some warmth flowing through her limbs now, but Amanda's constant laughter and chatter is starting to grate on her nerves and all she wants is for there to be silence in the room. "Okay, Amanda, can we take it down to a dull roar now?" she asks, trying not to let her irritation show. "Everyone is tired and we need to get some sleep."

It is quiet for a moment and then she hears a slight sniffle from the woman beside her. "What's the matter?"

"You hurt my feelings," Amanda whimpers.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Olivia mutters in exasperation.

"Oh, man," Carisi laughs. "I didn't know you were an emotional drunk, Amanda."

"I'm not emotional," she whines.

"Are you gonna cry about it?" he teases.

"Ugh, seriously, I am way too old for this shit," Fin grumbles.

"Alright, everyone, enough!" Olivia explodes, feeling like the last thread of her patience is about to snap. "We are _all_ way too old for this shit. Fin, if you're so annoyed with everyone, then go back to the spare bedroom. Carisi, stop teasing Amanda, and Amanda, you're not allowed to cry just because I'm asking you to be quiet. Honestly," she mutters in exasperation. "How did a nice evening with my colleagues to unwind and relax from work turn into _this_?"

Everyone is completely silent for a moment before Amanda lets out a small chuckle that soon increases into more full-blown laughter.

"Amanda, if you don't be quiet, I'm going to pick you up and carry you out to the balcony and you can sleep in the snow," Fin warns.

"Ooh, we can have a snowball fight!" Amanda exclaims with enthusiasm.

"It's three o'clock in the morning, Amanda," Olivia groans. "We're not having a damn snowball fight. Are you always this childish and obnoxious when you're drunk?"

"Yes," Amanda responds seriously, and Olivia can't help the sudden snort of laughter that escapes her. That's all it takes to get the smaller woman going again, giggling so hard that she is shaking the bed once more.

"You're such a moody drunk, Mandy," Carisi whispers. "Crying one second and laughing the next."

"Don't call me Mandy, _Sonny_."

"Oh my god, I'm in hell," Fin groans.

Olivia turns away in frustration and finds herself face to face with Frannie who is now sitting on the floor beside the bed, the dog leaning forward to swipe a warm, wet tongue over her face. "Ugh," she moans in disgust, gently pushing the animal away from her.

She feels the bed shift slightly next to her and then Amanda's knobby knees are digging into her back, the other woman snuggled up closely behind her.

" _Liv_ ," she hears her whisper urgently, and closes her eyes, stifling a groan of exhaustion and impatience.

"What is it, Amanda?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"For what?

"For being so loud."

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you _really_ sure?"

 _"Amanda!_ "

"Amanda, shut the hell up _now_ ," Fin snaps, his tone stern with no room for argument.

Olivia hears the smaller woman sniffle again, and rolls her eyes, but can't help feeling a sliver of sympathy for her colleague who is very drunk and most likely getting sick and seems to be unable to control her emotions. She rolls over in the bed so they are face to face, the small blonde staring at her with sad blue eyes, wide and shining with a sheen of tears, and she can't help reaching out to smooth a hand across the detective's warm forehead.

"Just go to sleep, Amanda," she says gently. "No one is mad at you, okay?"

"Speak for yourself," she hears Fin mutter from the other side of the bed, and Carisi murmurs his agreement.

Olivia resists the urge to roll her eyes again and expects Amanda to get upset once more, but the younger woman's eyes are drooping closed as she continues to stroke a hand over her forehead, a little concerned with how warm the blonde detective feels when the rest of the them are still freezing and it is now cold enough in the room that she can see her breath in the air when she exhales.

She pulls the covers up to her chin, actually relieved when Frannie leaps back onto the bed and settles in down by her feet, creating some more heat. She closes her eyes, the room finally quiet now as everyone begins dropping off to sleep, and she hopes the next day will bring some relief from the cold and a way out of this apartment that they are all now trapped in together.

Amanda suddenly jerks in her sleep, a hand flailing upwards to swipe across Olivia's face, and she winces as she is grazed by the other woman's fingernails, cupping a hand over her watering eye and wondering if this night is ever going to end.


	2. Chapter 2

When Olivia opens her eyes, she is momentarily confused as there is another human being pressed up tightly against her, arms wrapped around her neck in a choke hold and one leg flung over her torso, and she feels a brief surge of panic, not understanding the situation, before cracking an eye open and seeing Amanda snuggled up so close to her, there is no space between them whatsoever. She starts to sigh in relief and then realizes it is difficult to even expel air, so she gently tries to unwind the other woman's arms from around her neck without waking her. It is still stunningly cold in the bedroom but she can feel the heat rolling off of Amanda in waves, and it is obvious now that the smaller woman is really sick.

She rests the back of her hand briefly against the blonde detective's forehead, Amanda's skin hot and sticky to the touch, and she frowns, hoping that whatever the problem is, it can easily be taken care of here in the apartment. She has no idea what time it is and is afraid to look outside, terrified to see how much more snow has fallen while they have been sleeping; the thought of having to spend the entire weekend and possibly beyond, cooped up like this with her colleagues just to much to bear right now. She doesn't think she can handle another night of them all sharing her bed and has no idea what they are going to do here all day if they can't even venture outside of the building. Not to mention the fact that the temperature is still so frigid, she can see her breath in the air.

Olivia does her best to raise her head off the pillow to look over at the others, wincing a little as she realizes that she has quite the headache. Carisi is curled up close behind Amanda, spooning her and apparently having forgotten his earlier remark about not touching her with a ten foot pole; and she feels a brief flicker of amusement when she sees Fin on the other side of the bed, obviously trying to get as far away from the rest of them as possible, hovering so close to the edge of the mattress that he is on the verge of falling to the floor. She becomes aware of a warm body resting between her legs, a furry head upon her knee, and reaches down to stroke a hand over one of the sleeping dog's ears.

Amanda's stranglehold suddenly becomes even tighter around her neck, the smaller woman whimpering in her sleep, and Olivia makes a choking sound as she tries again to loosen her colleague's arms. "Amanda," she gasps out. "Breathing is kind of becoming an issue here."

"Furry things are chasing me," the blonde detective mumbles, only loosening her hold on Olivia a tiny amount. "I need to get away from them."

"Furry things?" Olivia echos in confusion, rubbing a hand over her tired eyes. "Furry things like Frannie?"

At the mention of her name, Frannie raises her head off of Olivia's knee and she can feel her tail thumping against the quilt.

"No, furry things like monsters," Amanda responds sleepily, not opening her eyes.

There is a sudden explosive snore from Fin that shatters the relative silence of the room and makes Frannie jump, followed by an almost identical one from Carisi, and Olivia can't help but chuckle slightly. "I think the only monsters here are the ones sharing the bed with us. You're just dreaming, Amanda."

"I'm sick, Liv," the other woman murmurs.

"I know," Olivia whispers, feeling a wave of sympathy for her detective. "I'm going to see if I find anything in the medicine cabinet that will bring your fever down."

There is silence for a moment, followed by a short giggle. "I think I'm still a bit drunk," the other woman admits.

Olivia rolls her eyes, the corner of her lip quirking up into a smile. "Okay, probably best not to take any meds just yet, then."

"Maybe I should drink some more alcohol," Amanda suggests with a chuckle, her face pressed into Olivia's shoulder, muffling her scratchy, slurred voice. "Do you think it would help?"

"Definitely not," Olivia replies firmly. "I think any more drinking for the duration of everyone's stay here would be a very bad idea."

"Okay, then, drinking is bad," Amanda mumbles, suddenly giving a giant stretch, her hand narrowly missing Olivia's face, and they hear a grunt from one of the guys.

"Stop kicking me, Amanda," Carisi grumbles, turning away from her and moving closer to Fin in the bed.

"You spoon me, you die, Carisi," the other man warns, his voice deadpan.

Olivia sighs and squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, hoping to get a little more time to herself before everyone is up for the day. She needs to get out of bed and assess the situation they are in; see how much more snow has fallen, take inventory of everything she has available in the apartment, and try yet again to get in touch with her superintendent. She had just gone grocery shopping the day before but doesn't think she has enough to feed four adults, two of them men with giant appetites, plus a dog, if they are stuck here for a few days. She certainly doesn't have any dog food in the apartment and doesn't even know what she has that Frannie can eat.

When she raises her head again to look at the clock on the nightstand, she is surprised to see that it is barely 8am and they haven't been sleeping for very long. She whispers to the others that it is still early and to go back to sleep and there are no objections whatsoever, just some shifting around in the bed and a couple of grunts and groans, and then there is complete silence once again. She blows out a breath and eases her legs over the side of the mattress, trying not to disturb Frannie and finally disentangling herself from Amanda's death grip.

"Liv, where are you going?" the smaller woman suddenly protests, as Olivia creeps toward the door of the bedroom.

She stops short and turns around, Amanda's head raised off the pillow now, the blonde detective regarding her with bloodshot eyes and flushed cheeks, long hair in complete disarray. "Just out to the kitchen, Amanda," she whispers. "I need to figure some things out and get some stuff done. I thought you had gone back to sleep."

"Can you stay here?" Amanda asks, a hint of vulnerability in her tone now, and Olivia can see it in her eyes and expression; that she actually is still somewhat inebriated even after all these hours, and that she appears to be quite ill.

Olivia shakes her head, trying to stifle a sigh, but can't help the smile that is creeping across her lips again. "So not only are you needy when you're drunk, you're also needy when you're sick?" she teases gently.

"My head hurts," Amanda responds, not addressing the question at all, and she slumps back down onto the pillow and closes her eyes.

"Okay, hold on," Olivia whispers, hurrying from the bedroom and into the bathroom.

Knowing it's probably unsafe for her colleague to have any kind of medication yet, she soaks a cloth in cold water and then returns to her room, perching on the side of the bed and placing the cloth on Amanda's forehead. The smaller woman shivers slightly and then murmurs her thanks, and Olivia sits there for a moment, stroking her hand soothingly through the detective's tangled hair and rolling her eyes when she notices Fin reach out to smack Carisi as the younger man again gets too close to him in the bed.

"Keep your hands to yourself, man," the older detective mutters. "Geez, I think you need to get laid."

"I'm so cold," Carisi moans, still sounding half asleep and curling into a ball when Fin gives him a not-so-gentle shove as he tries to creep closer one more time.

"I think Carisi just wants to be the big spoon, Fin," Amanda chuckles tiredly. "Stop fighting it and just give in. He likes to snuggle. He's quite cuddly, actually. He'll keep you nice and warm."

"Ugh," Fin groans. "This hell is never ending."

"Okay guys, just try to go back to sleep, alright?" Olivia says softly. "I need to take care of some things, and quite frankly, I'm not ready to deal with all of you just yet today."

Carisi snorts. "Well, we appreciate your honesty, Liv. We'll try to stay out of your hair for awhile."

"Yeah, I could do with a few more hours of sleep," Fin mumbles in agreement. "But only if no one is touching me."

Olivia rolls her eyes again and gets to her feet. "Alright, everyone, no touching, okay? Just leave each other alone and try to get some more shut-eye. I'll see you in a little while."

It is silent again as she leaves the room, gently closing the door behind her and leaning against it in relief for a moment, sighing deeply and closing her eyes. She finds it baffling the way her tough, smart, badass group of detectives have turned into a bunch of whiny, argumentative, disgruntled toddlers now that they are away from the precinct and in a less than ideal situation, but she knows the excessive consumption of alcohol and the likely ensuing hangovers are certainly not helping things.

She trudges into the kitchen, trying to gather her strength for the day, and groans softly when she sees the state of her apartment. There are empty beer and wine bottles stacked along every available surface of the counter and table, as well as with some other empty bottles of alcohol that she doesn't even recognize the names of. The living room appears to be in much the same state, bottles lined up along the end tables and some lolling on the carpet, empty chip bags littered everywhere, crumbs all over the couch and what looks to be a dried pool of beer on one of the cushions. The karaoke machine lays on its side, the microphones nowhere to be found.

Olivia's bad mood only ratchets up another notch when she gathers up the courage to pull back the curtains on the balcony door and her breath catches in her throat when she finds herself staring out at a world of white, the city beyond literally buried in snow. The snow had definitely accumulated even more while they had slept and she immediately turns on the TV, flipping to the weather channel, needing to know how bad the situation is and how long this is likely to last.

She listens to the newscasters as she tries to gather up as many empty bottles as she can, frowning when she hears them say that they most likely won't see any relief from the brutal cold and snow for the next couple of days. She peers outside again, desperately trying to locate her colleague's cars in all the mess, a bizarre though occurring to her that maybe if she can find their vehicles, they can leave, but the cars are unrecognizable, mixing in with everything else that has been buried under mounds of white powder, and she closes her eyes, feeling the headache from lack of sleep and alcohol consumption and pure annoyance wrapping itself around her even more tightly.

Olivia is cloaked in a heavy blanket and is on the phone to her superintendent yet again, determined to finally get some answers about the temperature issue in the apartment, when her bedroom door swings open and Fin marches out of the room followed by Carisi.

"Whoa, what's going on?" she asks, eyebrows raised in surprised as the men shuffle into the living room, looking disheveled and exhausted and still wearing yesterday's clothes, bumping into each other as they come to a standstill in front of her. "I thought you were all going back to sleep for a few more hours."

"Carisi won't stop trying to cuddle with me and Amanda keeps whining about monsters, so I'm done," Fin snaps. "I need a bucket of coffee and some food." He looks as if his hangover has made him angry enough to rip someone's throat out, but Carisi appears quite placid next to him, rubbing a closed fist over one of his eyes like a tired little boy who hasn't gotten enough sleep.

"Alright, I'll make you guys some breakfast," Olivia says with a resigned sigh, the fact that her colleagues are up so early and she _still_ can't get her superintendent on the phone not doing anything for her state of mind at the moment.

"Liv, I don't mean to be annoying but it's still really cold in here," Carisi pipes up softly, wrapping his arms around himself and shivering dramatically.

She thinks she hears Fin mutter the word, "Pussy," under his breath, and then Carisi protests yet again about the temperature, his voice coming out in a whine now.

Olivia stops short on her way to the kitchen, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing the younger man with a look that has him glancing away guiltily, a blush creeping across his cheeks.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Carisi," she snaps. "I'm not sure what I would do without you around. If you don't want to annoy me, you could start by not speaking, okay?" Olivia knows she sounds harsh and tries to reign herself in, feeling more hungover than she had previously thought she was, the headache pulling tighter around her skull and claws of pain digging into her brain.

She sees her colleagues glancing at one another in surprise and rubs her hands over her face, immediately feeling contrite. "Sorry," Olivia murmurs. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I still can't get a hold of my superintendent but I'm going to go down to her unit in a little while if I don't hear back from her soon, okay? Hopefully it will be a little more comfortable in here later on but until then, you're welcome to take hot showers and use any of the blankets that you want. And I'll get started on breakfast. How does bacon and eggs sound?"

"Sounds great, Liv," Fin replies with a smile, both men now looking as contrite as she feels, and Carisi nods his agreement, gaze fixed on the ground as if in shame for bringing up such an obvious problem that Olivia has been working so hard to fix.

She smiles back at them, resolving to have more patience, and turns away to start getting things prepared for their meal, making sure to start the coffee before she does anything else. Before long the bacon and eggs are sizzling away in pans on top of the stove, and not only does it smell very enticing in the kitchen now, but the heat from the stove is adding some much-needed warmth to the room and to the apartment beyond.

Olivia hears her bedroom door open again and peers around the corner of the kitchen to see Amanda stumble unsteadily into the hallway, looking positively green, her blue eyes half closed and her blonde hair wild. She is about to ask if the other woman is okay, even though the answer is obvious, when Carisi speaks instead.

"Amanda, you look so pretty in the morning," he snickers and Amanda glares at him, giving him the finger before marching into the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

"Princess is in a bad mood, huh?" he mutters.

"I think that's a major hangover you're seeing there, buddy," Fin chuckles, slapping him on the back.

"Hangover?" Carisi snorts. "I'm pretty sure she's still drunk."

"As are you, Carisi," Fin states, staring at him and shaking his head.

Carisi looks sheepish. "Well, I do still feel a little buzzed," he admits. "At least I'm in a good mood, though. I'm not strutting around here, slamming doors and giving you guys the finger."

"She's not feeling well, guys," Olivia says. "Just leave her alone, okay?"

"Well, I wouldn't be feeling well either if I had drank my body weight in alcohol," Fin mutters.

"Fin, you had more to drink than any of us," Olivia points out.

"Yeah, but Fin can handle his liquor," Carisi chuckles. "Unlike little Mandy in there. I think it was too much for her."

"Shut up, Sonny," they hear Amanda call from the bathroom.

Olivia turns up the radio in the kitchen as she cooks, trying to drown out the irritating voices of her teammates and concentrates on scrambling the eggs and making sure the bacon isn't getting too well done. She shoos both Fin and Carisi out of the kitchen when they each come up behind her, peering over her shoulder to get a look at their breakfast, Fin making suggestions on how to improve it, and tells them to make themselves comfortable in the living room and feel free to watch anything on TV.

There is a sudden retching sound from behind her and Olivia whirls around from the stove, a spatula in one hand and a shaker of salt in the other, and groans when she sees Frannie bent over on the kitchen floor, throwing up.

"Oh, Frannie," she sighs, partly in concern and partly in disgust, remembering that the dog isn't feeling well and that was the reason Amanda had brought her over here in the first place. "You okay there, girl?"

Frannie straightens up and gives a sharp bark, her tail wagging madly when she sees Olivia's attention focused on her, and prances over to the stove, dancing around in a small circle for a moment before leaving the kitchen in a happy, high energy manner, looking none the worse for wear.

"Hey, Amanda, can I get some help in here?" Olivia calls, suddenly not in the mood for breakfast anymore. She stares at the small pile of vomit on the floor and feels like she might be sick as well, and looks away, glancing at the food on the stove that is steaming and smelling delicious, but it is a turn off now. She places the spatula and salt shaker on the counter and swallows hard, briefly pressing a hand over her mouth before gathering her resolve. She deals with brutal, graphic crimes on a daily basis and she should be able to handle a little dog vomit, but the alcohol she had consumed the night before is roiling unpleasantly in her stomach now, and she feels an intense wave of nausea before it subsides.

"Amanda!" Olivia calls again, but still doesn't receive an answer from the smaller woman.

Carisi walks into the kitchen, turning up his nose at what he sees on the floor but then reaches into the steaming pan and plucks out a piece of bacon, wincing at how hot it is before gingerly putting it into his mouth, leaning against the counter and making no move to help clean up the mess. "Mmm, tasty," he says in satisfaction around his mouthful of food, giving Olivia the thumbs-up sign. "Is everything almost ready here, Liv? I'm starving."

Olivia just looks at him and shakes her head. "Carisi, you're going to burn your tongue off," she chides. "Can you please ask Amanda to come in here and clean up this mess? I'm a little busy right now."

"No can do, boss," he responds, plucking at another piece of bacon and hissing as it burns his fingers, but popping it into his mouth again anyway. "She's currently puking in the bathroom."

Olivia sighs wearily. "So Amanda _and_ her dog have both vomited in my apartment in the past few minutes? That's just fabulous."

"Maybe they both have the flu," Carisi suggests, still leaning against the counter as he eats, his gaze a bit unfocused and appearing quite unconcerned with the situation. "Maybe Amanda caught some kind of canine stomach flu from Frannie."

"Jesus, Carisi," Olivia mutters incredulously, staring at him like he has two heads. "You really are still drunk, aren't you? I don't think the stomach flu can cross species."

"Yes, it can, Liv," Carisi argues. "They've done studies on it. It's definitely possible."

"Okay, well, regardless of whether or not it's possible, maybe can we discuss this at another point in time," Olivia says, feeling her impatience rising again. "I'm kind of busy here."

Carisi shrugs and stumbles a little as he tries to sidestep the mess on the floor, and she rolls her eyes and gives him a gentle shove. "Go sit back down in the living room before you fall over," she suggests. "I'm making lots of coffee so you can all get sobered up, because I feel like I'm losing IQ points whenever I have a conversation with any of you. Honestly, how much alcohol did you people drink last night?"

"Well, judging by the fact that you don't even have enough space for all the empty bottles on the counter and the table and you had to start a pile on the floor, I'd say a _lot_ ," he chuckles, and Olivia rolls her eyes, pointing sternly toward the living room.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone," he murmurs, raising his hands in surrender and strolling out of the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Fin asks, passing Carisi on his way into the room and making a face when he sees what's on the floor.

"Well, Frannie is clearly ill with something, and I think Amanda has the flu," Olivia responds, pulling a roll of paper towels out of the cupboard.

"Wow, am I ever glad we all shared a bed last night, then," Fin replies sarcastically.

Olivia doesn't say anything, just lets out another weary sigh, and Fin takes the roll of paper towels from her. "Here, Liv, let me help you out," he says softly, and she smiles gratefully at him.

They clean up the mess together and then Olivia goes to check on Amanda, telling the guys they can serve themselves breakfast. She opens the bathroom door to find the smaller woman laying on the floor, hugging the base of the toilet, and she kneels down to pull her into a sitting position, still feeling the heat coming off of her, Amanda feeling like a furnace while the rest of them are still freezing.

"I took some meds, Liv," the blonde detective says groggily, her head lolling on Olivia's shoulder.

"Wait, what?" Olivia says, suddenly alarmed. "What did you take?"

"Just the flu meds I found in the medicine cabinet," Amanda replies, with a limp wave of her hand. "Just that over-the-counter stuff. It's all good."

"It's all good?" Olivia repeats with one eyebrow arched, reaching up to swipe the box off the counter and sighing in relief when she sees that the smaller woman did indeed take the correct medication. "Okay, these are the right meds, Amanda, but you're not entirely sober yet so it probably wasn't a good idea to take them so soon. What happened to waiting for a little while?"

"I'm sober now, Liv, don't worry," Amanda mumbles. "I'm just hungover. And the flu is making it worse."

"Honestly, Amanda, between the alcohol, the fever, and now the medication, you've barely had a coherent moment since you walked in the door yesterday," Olivia murmurs.

The other woman chuckles and Olivia rolls her eyes.

"It's not funny," she says in a serious tone, but Amanda is starting to giggle like she had during the night, and Olivia hauls her off the floor, murmuring, "Oh, god, not again," before walking her back into the bedroom and tucking her back into bed, placing a bucket beside her on the carpet and a glass of water on the nightstand, and telling the smaller woman that she will check on her again very soon.

When she passes the living room on the way back to the kitchen, she glances at the guys in amusement, Fin and Carisi sitting side by side on the couch, wrapped in blankets, scarfing down bacon and eggs and watching cartoons like children, briefly wrestling over the remote before Fin wrenches it out of the younger man's hands. Fin looks particularly ridiculous as he has a blanket wrapped all the way around his head with only his face poking out, so he is still able to shove his food hurriedly into his mouth and keep his gaze fixed firmly on the television.

Olivia quickly logs onto her laptop to look up foods that are good for dogs to eat when their stomachs are upset, and manages to find something in her cupboards to fix Frannie for breakfast before cleaning up the kitchen and continuing to collect all the empty bottles from the night before. She works her way systematically around the apartment, making sure to get every last bottle and chip bag, while Fin and Carisi take turns showering, Fin getting redressed in yesterday's clothes but Carisi walking around with just a towel wrapped around his hips, much to Olivia's chagrin. By the time she is done with her clean up, she sits down on one of the kitchen chairs, a hand to her forehead, feeling a little out of breath and in desperate need of a shower and more sleep.

Amanda exits the bedroom and wanders into the living room, sitting down gingerly on the couch, dressed in a pair of Olivia's sweats with her blond hair brushed to a shine, still looking a little green around the gills but a little more bright-eyed than she had previously. "Hey, Liv, I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed some of your clothes," the smaller woman says.

"No, why would I mind?" Olivia murmurs, with a wave of her hand. "What's mine is all of yours, apparently."

There is complete silence for a moment, Amanda sitting on the couch, petting Frannie, and the guys back in the bedrooms, and Olivia closes her eyes, relishing in the peaceful absence of sound, figuring it won't last for very long. As if on cue, Fin's angry voice suddenly shatters the blessed silence, and her eyes fly open.

"Carisi, come on, put some damn clothes on, man!" she hears him yell.

"Well, don't come in here while I'm getting changed," Carisi argues.

"The door was wide open!" Fin argues back. "How was I supposed to know you were going to whip off your towel the moment I walked into the room?"

"Well, I didn't know you were going to walk in right at that moment," Carisi replies.

"That's why you close the damn door!" Fin snaps back. "How was I supposed to know I was going to come face to face with a bare-assed man when I walked in here?"

"Well, you're still looking," Carisi replies, and she hears Amanda's snort of laughter from the couch.

"How can I stop looking when it's right in my damn face?" Fin snarls. "It's common sense to close a door before you're going to get changed."

"Okay, next time I will," Carisi says placidly.

"Carisi, you're _still_ naked while we're having this argument. Put some damn clothes on _now_." Fin sounds like he has reached his breaking point. "I swear, if I have to see someone completely naked or hear someone threatening to get completely naked again, I'm going to lose my shit."

"Calm down, man, I'm getting dressed, okay?" Carisi sighs, and Olivia can hear him shuffling around in the spare bedroom.

"You can do it quicker than that," Fin mutters. "What is it with you uninhibited youngsters?"

"You're just a prude," Carisi chuckles. "Can't handle a little nudity there, Fin?"

"I can handle plenty of nudity," he mumbles back. "Just not from my colleagues. _Never_ from my colleagues, alright? That shit is just too disturbing."

"Okay, you know what?" Olivia says, closing her eyes and pinching the skin between her eyebrows in exasperation. "Is it too much to ask that you all keep your clothes on unless you're behind closed doors? I mean, is this really something that needs to be brought up? Do I really need to be asking this of you?"

"Yeah, Carisi, this isn't really proper house guest etiquette," Amanda adds helpfully, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Oh, this coming from the woman who tried to put on a strip tease in front of all of us last night and then sleep naked in our boss' bed," he retorts.

"Hey, I was drunk," Amanda sneers. "What's your excuse?"

Olivia feels a sharp wave of annoyance and has to bite down hard on her lip before she explodes and says something she doesn't mean. Choosing to stay quiet, she instead strides quickly out of the apartment, trying not to slam the door behind her. She stands out in the hallway, hands clenched into fists, trying to reign in her anger and frustration, and begins pacing back and forth, eager to expel some of her restless energy, when the door opens quietly and Amanda slips into the hallway.

"You okay, Liv?" she asks softly.

"I'm fine, Amanda," Olivia replies, trying to sound casual but there is ice in her tone, an edge to her voice, and she knows it.

"I'm really sorry," the other woman says, her voice still soft. "I know I've been acting like an ass. I could blame it on the booze or the flu, but sometimes I'm just an ass anyway." Her tone is sheepish and self deprecating, and Olivia stops short and looks at her, the small woman shaking in the too-large sweats, her face leached of all color and gaze a little unfocused due to the fever or the meds or both.

"Amanda, you look like you're going to fall over," she says gently. "Why don't you go back to bed?"

"Because I want to make sure you're okay," Amanda says stubbornly. "I know it can't be easy having all of us cooped up in your home like this. I just wanted to say that you've been doing a great job taking care of me while I've been drunk and sick and I wanted to apologize for my behavior."

Olivia feels her heart melt a little and the anger begins to drain out of her. "It's okay, Amanda. You haven't been acting like any more of an ass than anyone else, trust me on that."

The corner of Amanda's lip lifts slightly.

"And I can do with a little more patience myself," Olivia adds. "I'm partly to blame too."

"You have the patience of a saint, Liv," Amanda assures her. "I would have pushed Carisi off the balcony a long time ago, if we were all stuck at my place together."

Olivia chuckles. "Trust me, Amanda, I've been trying my hardest not to push _all_ of you off the balcony since you arrived here yesterday."

The smaller woman snickers. "Well, I can't say that I blame you."

Olivia drags her hands back through her thick hair, wishing this damn headache would loosen its grip a little. Maybe if she hadn't drank so much herself the night before, she would feel better equipped to handle the constant issues that keep cropping up with her colleagues; the petty fighting and the illnesses and the mess of her apartment. But for now at least, she feels like she can take care of the issue that is plaguing them the most.

"Look, Amanda, I appreciate you coming out here to check on me and to apologize, but why don't you go back to bed for a little while?" Olivia suggests. "I'm going to go downstairs to have a little talk with my superintendent, Miranda. She's usually home all day, so I can probably get in a face-to-face chat instead of trying to reach her on the phone all the time, because that clearly hasn't been working so far."

"I'll come with you, Liv," Amanda responds, sounding eager now. "I need to have a little break from the apartment. Our co-workers are pretty damn annoying, aren't they?"

"They sure are," Olivia replies, arching an eyebrow at her and Amanda grins back sheepishly. "I think it would be better if you stay here, though, Amanda. Again, you don't seem entirely sober or steady on your feet and I don't want you throwing up in the elevator."

"I'm fine, Liv," Amanda replies, with an unconcerned wave of her hand. "The meds are helping a lot with the vomiting. I just feel a little loopy but it's not a bad feeling. I kind of like it."

Olivia just looks at her and shakes her head, and then opens the door to the apartment again to tell the guys that they are leaving for a few minutes to talk to the superintendent. The men are sitting side by side on the couch once more, Fin leaning back against the cushions with his eyes closed and an arm flung dramatically across his forehead like he is completely fed up with the situation they are in, and Olivia is relieved to see that Carisi has clothes on again.

"That's great, Liv," Carisi says enthusiastically. "You give her hell! She shouldn't be ignoring all your phone calls. And I promise I'll only get naked in the bathroom from now on, okay?"

"Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that, Carisi," Olivia replies, rolling her eyes.

"You and me both," Fin mutters. "I'm never going to get that disturbing image out of my brain now. I may need to indulge in a little more alcohol consumption, Liv."

Olivia smirks at him. "Not happening, Fin. There is now a no-alcohol rule for the duration of your stay here, and if any of you breaks that rule, you'll be spending the rest of the weekend out in the hallway because you won't be welcome back in my apartment."

"Geez, Liv, you're a little strict," Carisi murmurs.

"See you guys shortly," Olivia says, shaking her head, relieved to be getting a short break from the place, even if it means she has to deal with her somewhat unpleasant and occasionally inappropriate superintendent.

Just as she is shutting the door, Frannie quickly skirts through the opening, trotting out into the hallway and down the hall to the elevators where Amanda is waiting, having already pressed the button.

"Whoa there, girl, get back here!" Olivia calls sternly, but Frannie is already stepping inside the elevator behind Amanda, and she hurriedly gets inside with them.

"Amanda, she needs to go back to my place," Olivia starts to say, but the doors are already closing and they are moving downwards at a rapid pace.

"It's fine, Liv, it's good for her to get out," Amanda answers, with an unconcerned wave of her hand. "She needs some exercise, anyway."

"There are no dogs allowed in this building, Amanda," Olivia sighs, rubbing a hand across her eyes.

"Oh. Oops." Amanda bites her lip and shrugs at her as the doors open on the main floor and Frannie is already exiting the elevator, like she knows exactly where they are going. "Well, I think it might be a bit too late, Liv."

"You think?" Olivia murmurs, sighing again, and exiting the elevator behind Frannie, the dog already making a beeline for the heavyset woman sitting in a chair in the hallway beside her open apartment door, smoking a cigarette and talking loudly on a cell phone.

When the woman sees the three of them coming toward her, she hangs up quickly and a lecherous grin spreads across her face. "Hey, there, Livvy, what's up, gorgeous? You're looking particularly scrumptious today."

"My apartment feels like an igloo," Olivia responds in a clipped tone, ignoring her superintendent's comment and knowing it couldn't be further from the truth, as she hasn't even had a chance to shower that day. "And you have neglected to respond to any of my inquiries about the situation, even though you clearly know how to use your phone. That's what's up, Miranda."

"Now, Livvy, don't get all hot under the collar," the other woman says with a gravelly laugh, voice choked with smoke. "It's not just your unit that is having issues, it's everyone's units. I'm trying to get the problems taken care of as fast as I can and you should be more comfortable soon, but the storm is complicating things now. Don't be thinking you can get special treatment just because you're a big-deal police officer, though." Olivia sees the woman watching her intently, a thick pink tongue poking out to run over her lower lip, and neglects to mention the fact that the temperature issues had started several days before the storm had hit.

"And you know you're welcome to come in here anytime you're too cold," the superintendent adds in a sultry tone. "I'd be happy to keep you warm, baby."

The chair creaks ominously under Miranda's weight as she leans forward toward Olivia, tossing her long purple-streaked hair over her shoulder and taking another drag from her cigarette. "Who's your friend over there?" she asks, catching sight of Amanda. "Hmm, you're cute too, little blondie. Well, in a sickly kind of way," she adds. "A bit young for me, though. I prefer my women menopausal."

Olivia hears Amanda snort lightly under her breath and then try to cover it up with a cough.

"You need to take better care of your girl there, Livvy," Miranda says, continuing to regard Amanda, her eyebrows raised now. "Little chickie looks like she's going to fall over."

Olivia glances over to see Amanda clutching onto the wall, her knees looking like they're about to buckle, and she sighs, wrapping an arm around the smaller woman's waist. "I told you to stay in bed, Amanda," she murmurs.

"Oh, so that's how it is?" Miranda asks, sounding hurt. "You like the younger women, Livvy? Where's the love for people your own age?"

Olivia's patience feels like it is at the breaking point again. "Look, Miranda, I just came down here to make sure the heat is going to be fixed soon. I'm not paying rent to live in an igloo, okay?"

"Hey, there are no dogs allowed in this building," the other woman suddenly snaps, finally tearing her eyes away from Olivia and Amanda and seeming to notice Frannie for the first time, the dog poking her head briefly into the open door of Miranda's apartment before sniffing around the woman's chair.

"Well, there's also no smoking in this building, so I guess we're even," Olivia snaps back, turning away with her arm still around Amanda, the smaller woman shaking slightly. "Come on, Frannie, let's go, girl."

"You know, I might be able to get the heat fixed faster for you, if you come inside for a bit," Miranda calls out in a suggestive tone. "We can create our own heat." There is a pause when the other woman seems to realize that Olivia isn't going to respond to her suggestive remarks. "Come on, Livvy, don't walk away angry."

"If it's not fixed by the end of the day, we're going to have a problem, Miranda," Olivia responds, not turning around and continuing to walk back toward the elevators with Amanda hanging off of her and Frannie trailing behind them.

"You're hot when you're angry, Livvy!" Miranda yells out, and Olivia looks impatiently up at the numbers above the elevator, willing the doors to open.

It is quiet once they are in the elevator again, Frannie sitting patiently on the floor by their feet, but the silence seems expectant, and Olivia can feel the small detective's hazy blue eyes fixed intently upon her. "What, Amanda?" she sighs.

"What?" the blonde woman repeats with a frown.

"You look like you want to say something."

"I do?"

"Just say what you want to say."

Amanda bites her lip for a moment. "Well, Miranda seems to have a little crush on you," she points out.

"Yes, I've noticed," Olivia replies dryly.

"She seems to ignore you a lot, though," Amanda says thoughtfully. "She doesn't pick up the phone when you call, even though she clearly likes you. Why is that? Maybe because she would rather talk to you in person. Or maybe she's mad because..."

Olivia raises her eyebrows expectantly, waiting for the other woman to finish. She again notices the glazed look in the detective's eyes, the slight trembling of her legs as she leans against the wall of the elevator, the meds and fever obviously hitting her hard, and knows something ridiculous is about to come out of her mouth.

"Maybe she's mad because you won't reciprocate her lady love, Livvy?" Amanda teases softly, using the same obnoxious nickname that Miranda had used.

Olivia glares at her. "What happened to not acting like an ass anymore? That didn't last too long. You really can't help yourself, can you?"

"Sorry." Amanda bites her lip again and blushes, looking away, but Olivia can see the grin threatening to break across her pale face.

She stands there with her arms crossed in front of her, staring hard at the younger woman, and then finally expels a laugh, her hangover and annoyance with the weekend in general rearing its ugly head. "You're such a little shit sometimes, you know that, Mandy?" She purposely uses the nickname that Carisi had taunted her with earlier, not caring about her vulgar choice of words.

The smaller woman looks up at her with eyebrows raised in surprise, her mouth dropping open a little at the uncharacteristic language, before laughing as well. "Well, I am on flu medication."

"Oh, so now you're going to blame it on the meds?" Olivia teases, even though she knows that is at least part of the reason. "I think it just comes naturally to you, this attitude of yours; like you said before."

They look at each other in silence for a moment, a note of challenge in both of their expressions, before they smirk at one another and then burst into laughter at the same time.

"God, what a shitty weekend this has been," Olivia groans, dragging her hands over her face in frustration.

"Yeah, I've certainly had better weekends than this," Amanda chuckles in acknowledgment. "I've had much worse, though, too. Honestly, Liv, I know we're all driving you crazy, but I'm glad we're together. I couldn't imagine being stuck in my apartment during this storm, just Frannie and I, and both us of sick."

"Well, I guess it's better that you're here with me, then," Olivia admits grudgingly, and Amanda smiles gratefully at her before suddenly clapping a hand over her mouth, that green tinge back in her complexion again.

"Oh, Amanda, don't you dare throw up in this elevator," Olivia warns, hovering close to the other woman, her hands in the air as if she can actually stop her from vomiting. "Just try to wait a second, okay? We're almost back to my place."

Amanda nods, her hands still covering her mouth, as Olivia guides her out of the elevator with Frannie quick on their heels. They are right at the apartment door, Olivia fumbling with her keys, and she thinks they are going to make it when Amanda suddenly leans over, hands on her knees, and throws up into the corner of the hallway. Olivia stifles a groan and rubs the other woman's back, the words, "I told you so," on her parted lips, but she wisely chooses to keep her mouth shut.

"Okay, I'm going to get you tucked back into bed before I clean this mess up," she says wearily.

"Sorry, Liv, I guess I should have stayed here," Amanda replies sheepishly, wiping a hand across her mouth.

Olivia once again refrains from saying anything as she unlocks her apartment door.

"Well, Liv, at least things can't possibly get any worse," Amanda assures her, as they open the door.

The first thing they hear upon reentering the apartment is the unmistakable sound of more vomiting. Olivia winces and catches a glimpse of Carisi bent over the toilet in the bathroom, retching violently, three blankets wrapped around him while he shivers.

"Oh no," she says in concern, feeling her heart sink in her chest. "What's going on?"

"I think Carisi has the flu now too," Fin responds, rolling his eyes as he strides out of the bathroom with an arm full of dirty, stinking towels. "We're dropping like flies here, Liv. Another one bites the dust."

Olivia covers her face with her hands and doesn't try to stifle her groan this time. "What were you saying about things not getting any worse, Amanda?"


	3. Chapter 3

**This is the last chapter of the story. Thank you so much for reading! I have appreciated each and every review that has been left; you guys are awesome and your reviews make me smile. :)**

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Carisi has thrown up an astonishing number of times, considering he seemed fine when Olivia had left the apartment not that long ago, and Amanda is hovering close to the bathroom door, her hand over her mouth again, that persistent green tinge in her complexion, and it is clear that the flu medication she had taken previously is not working for her as well as she had assured Olivia that it was.

Fin is making a grotesque pile of dirty towels in the hallway, and again, Olivia feels that intense wave of nausea; the sharp twist of pain at the base of her skull that is radiating up through the back of her head and into her temples reminding her that her hangover is alive and well, and she swallows hard.

Amanda suddenly sways on her feet and Olivia reaches out to grab her arm, trying to guide her over to the couch, but the smaller woman pulls away from her, motioning frantically toward the bathroom with her hand still clapped firmly over her mouth.

"Carisi, are you almost done in there?" Olivia asks, watching Amanda with alarm, realizing she still has to clean up the mess the other woman had left in the hallway outside the apartment door and hoping she won't have to clean up another. Her answer from the younger man is another loud retch and she winces, squeezing her eyes shut.

"God, it's like a horror movie in here," Fin mutters. "The sights and sounds and smells are a little over the top, Liv. I can't believe I'm suggesting this since it's still so damn cold, but maybe we should open some windows in here."

"Yeah, it might actually be warmer outside than it is inside at the moment," Olivia sighs. "Open the bathroom window and then get the flu meds out and give some to Carisi." She is motioning toward the medicine cabinet, when she sees Amanda staggering over to the balcony door.

"Whoa, there, Amanda, where do you think you're going?" she asks in alarm, hurrying to follow her and grasping the other woman by the shoulders to gently turn her around.

"Outside," the blonde detective mumbles, gesturing toward the door. "I need to be sick again and the bathroom is occupied."

"Are you serious right now?" Olivia replies, eyebrows raised in surprise. "You can't open that door, Amanda. Look at it."

The smaller woman stares at the door with a perplexed frown, and then seems to realize why she can't go outside, as the snow is piled halfway up the glass, looking like fluffy white waves, the wind swirling the icy substance around in the air like tiny tornadoes.

"You're going to have a wall of snow coming down on your head if you open that," Olivia explains, leading her back into the living room and trying to get her to sit down on the couch again, but Amanda suddenly springs back to her feet as her knees are bending and rushes into the bathroom, throwing up into the bathtub as Carisi continues to vomit into the toilet.

"Jesus," Fin murmurs, the disgust evident in his voice as he leans against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest, watching his ill colleagues. "I really wish you had more than one bathroom, Liv."

"You and me both," she sighs, lowering herself onto the floor so she is sitting between Amanda and Carisi with a hand on each of their backs, and her heart melts as she watches Fin kneel down behind his partner, gathering her long blonde hair away from her face as she continues to be sick.

The four of them are so crammed into the small space that Olivia is scrunched up between everyone on the floor, and she shakes her head, guessing a shower is out of the question at least for the foreseeable future, as Amanda is still bent over the tub and she knows that she has more than one mess to clean up now.

"You know, this weekend has been a bit of an eye-opening experience," Fin says, sitting on the floor beside Olivia as Amanda leans back on her heels, wiping her mouth and Carisi sags over the toilet seat, his head resting in the crook of his arm. "I've seen and heard way more from all of you than I've ever wanted to or thought I would."

Olivia looks around at all of them, and can't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I think this is a weekend we won't be forgetting anytime soon."

"Is it just me or is this the longest weekend we've ever had?" Fin grumbles. "Seriously, what else can go wrong at this point? The weather, the heat, the flu? What's going to happen next?"

"I honestly don't want to know, Fin," Olivia replies wearily. "And you should know better than to ask that question," she chides. "Because it can _always_ get worse."

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Later in the day, Olivia sits on the couch in the living room, crossed ankles resting on the coffee table in front of her and one of the Harry Potter movies playing on TV. The heat issue seems to be fixed or is at least on the way to being fixed, as there is finally some warmth flowing through the apartment again, and everyone seems to be a little more comfortable now. Amanda is on her left, the small woman curled up onto her side with one leg pulled up to her chest and the other hanging over the arm rest, her blonde head resting in Olivia's lap. Carisi is on her right, sitting up beside her with his head resting against her shoulder, snoring lightly. One of Olivia's hands is stroking Amanda's hair and the other is clutching the remote, ready to turn the TV down if it gets too loud during the current fight scene that is showing. Frannie is laying on the floor by their feet, one of her paws nudging Olivia's toes from time to time as if to remind her that she is there as well and also needs some attention.

Olivia had managed to take a much needed shower after cleaning up all of the messes that her colleagues had made, and had finally collapsed onto the couch, Amanda and Carisi following her, and they have remained there for the past few hours. She has been making sure that they are both properly medicated and well hydrated, keeping a close eye on them as Fin has rummaged around in the fridge and cupboards in the kitchen, searching for something to cook for dinner. They had skipped lunch entirely, all four of them completely turned off of eating, either due to being sick or watching the others get sick. The only plus side to this issue is that Olivia has begun to worry less about how much food is in the apartment now. Between the constant vomiting from the flu, and the overwhelming hangovers, there hasn't been much in the way of food consumption happening that day.

Olivia is now one hundred percent certain that she will begin showing symptoms of the flu at some point soon; it's just a matter of when. Sharing the same bed and breathing the same air, and putting up with the fact that their high fevers have made both Amanda and Carisi as clingy and needy as children, she figures it is only a matter of time before she and Fin are also spiking fevers and throwing up, as it has been hard to get any separation whatsoever from the rest of the group.

Olivia has found herself wandering over to the balcony door several times throughout the course of the day, whenever she is able to escape Amanda and Carisi's clutches, to watch the progress of the snow removal. The white powder has continued to plummet from the sky for the majority of the day, although it seems to be slowing somewhat now, but she knows that even if the streets are miraculously cleared anytime soon, it won't matter. Amanda and Carisi both live alone, and there's no way she can send them back to their apartments in their current state, no matter how frustrated and exhausted she is. They need someone right now, and that someone is her. And she has a feeling Fin won't abandon them either, even if the streets become navigable over the next little while, despite his utter misery with the situation they are caught in. They are not just colleagues, they are a family, and families stick together.

Amanda is grasping hard onto her knee like she is afraid Olivia is going to try to escape, and Carisi sighs in disapproval as she moves the slightest bit, trying to get more comfortable on the couch, and despite her frustration with the situation, she can't help but feel pity and concern for them as her younger colleagues are both so miserable. She runs her fingers comfortingly through Amanda's hair again and assures Carisi that she isn't going anywhere, despite her need to take a break from their suffocating behavior.

"Hey there, Mama Benson," Fin teases softly, coming into the living room, clad in an apron and oven mitts, a cookbook in one hand and a spatula in the other, and Olivia has to fight the urge to laugh when she gets a look at him. "Motherhood looks good on you, Liv."

"Shut up, Fin," she replies, rolling her eyes, and he chuckles.

"You're looking pretty snazzy in your chef's gear there," she points out, gesturing to what he is wearing. "What's for dinner?"

"Hell if I know," Fin admits with a shrug. "I don't know how to cook."

"What?" Olivia answers, raising her eyebrows. "Are you serious? Then why do you have oven mitts and an apron on? And why are you holding a spatula?"

Fin shrugs again. "I thought it would make me look more official, like I actually know what I'm doing. I'm looking for some ideas in here," he adds, holding up the cookbook.

"Fin, that's a gourmet cookbook," she replies. "You're not going to find anything in there. I don't have any of those ingredients in the apartment. I never use it."

"Another birthday gift you don't use?" he smirks, and she nods.

"Can you guys be quiet?" Carisi suddenly whines in annoyance. "Harry Potter is on and I can't hear it."

"Oh, shut it, Carisi," Fin says, rolling his eyes. "You haven't even been watching it. You've been sleeping the whole time."

Frannie suddenly lurches to her feet, her tail swishing across Olivia's legs, and staggers a few steps away before vomiting onto the carpet.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me," Olivia mutters, shaking her head in disbelief at yet another mess. "Fin, this one is yours. I'm a little indisposed at the moment."

"Amanda, clean this shit up," Fin orders. "I'm trying to cook here."

"Give me a break, Fin," Olivia sighs, pursing her lips. "Does it look like she can do anything right now?" She gestures at the small woman who is practically comatose in her lap. "And I'm guessing we'll be having canned soup for dinner tonight, since you have no idea what you're doing."

"Amanda, you need to take your dog to the vet," Fin says sternly, leaning down to look at his partner before taking off the apron and oven mitts, preparing to do the clean up.

"Sure, Fin, I'll just dig my car out from underneath several feet of snow and be on my merry way," the blonde woman murmurs sleepily, rubbing a hand across her flushed cheek. "I wouldn't be able to locate my car under all that white crap out there if my life depended on it. Besides, I already took her to the vet. It's just a stomach bug. She'll be fine."

As if to prove her owner's point, Frannie springs energetically back up to her feet, dancing around in a sudden fit of joy, and trotting over to swipe a tongue across Olivia's face.

"Oh, shit, that was _nasty_ ," Fin chokes out, covering his mouth in revulsion as Olivia does the same, trying not to gag.

"Frannie, no," Amanda says listlessly, waving a limp hand at her pet. "Don't lick Liv's face when you've just puked."

"That's good advice for everyone," Fin laughs, and Olivia desperately swallows down an severe wave of nausea, failing to see the humor in the situation.

"Liv, if you're going to throw up, please do it in the bathroom," Carisi murmurs. "If I have to watch you do that here, I'm going to start up again."

"Yeah, same here," Amanda adds.

"Wow, thanks for the sympathy," Olivia mutters, feeling quite disgruntled by the whole situation now, her stomach still roiling unpleasantly. "I've seen the two of you throw up enough to last a lifetime."

She feels Amanda give her leg a squeeze and then the smaller woman rolls over to look up at her. "Sorry, Liv. If you need to be sick right here, it's all good."

"Thanks, Amanda," she replies with a sigh, fixing her exasperated gaze on the ceiling for a moment, before deciding not to be quite so irritated anymore. "Okay, guys, what are we going to do about dinner?"

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When Olivia is laying in bed later that night, she finds that she is actually content for the first time since she had pulled back the curtains on the balcony door to discover that her colleagues were stranded at her apartment due to the inclement weather, everything descending into chaos from that point on. She is snuggled under the covers, relishing in the fact that she has the giant bed all to herself and that it is actually quite warm in the apartment now.

Everyone is back to their separate sleeping quarters now that the heat issue seems to have been resolved, with a couple of exceptions. Since Carisi is so ill, Fin has been kind enough to let him have the spare bedroom while he gets set up out on the couch, but she has a sneaking suspicion that the older man hasn't been entirely honest with her about the state of his health, as he had seemed increasingly off to her as it had gotten later in the evening. Amanda has the most creative sleeping spot of everyone, choosing to spend the night in the bathtub so she can be closer to the toilet in case the need arises. Ever the faithful pet, Frannie had been curled up on the bathmat, not leaving her owner's side, when Olivia had left them in there a little while ago. She had felt a sharp stab of guilt as she had tucked a multitude of blankets around the smaller woman so she would be more comfortable, reassuring Amanda that she was more than welcome to spend another night in her bed despite her previous reluctance, but the small detective had been adamant on staying in the tub, unable to keep her vomiting under control for any length of time.

Olivia has closed her eyes and is settling into sleep, feeling the first blissful pull of unconsciousness, when a shrill scream suddenly pierces the air and she practically falls out of bed, her heart giving a startled leap, and mutters an uncharacteristic, "Fuck me," as she stumbles to the door of her bedroom. She is confused as she thinks she hears the shower running in the bathroom, and collides with Fin at the door as they both try to enter the room at the same time.

Amanda is tangled up in the blankets inside the tub, sputtering in shock as the shower head rains water down upon her, Carisi standing there beside her, looking extremely disoriented. Frannie is pacing anxiously back and forth across the tiles and gives a sharp bark when she sees the older members of the group entering the room.

"What the hell is going on?" Olivia snaps, reaching in to turn the water off and staring hard at her colleagues, her eyebrows raised in question.

"I guess it was too much to ask for five straight minutes of peace and quiet," Fin mutters, shaking his head in exhaustion, and Olivia notices that his expression is quite pale and drawn.

"Liv, you said I could have a hot shower whenever I wanted," Carisi mumbles, rubbing at his eyes and blinking at her in confusion, looking like he doesn't quite know where he is.

"Not when someone is already _in_ the tub, Carisi," Olivia explains in exasperation, staring at him in disbelief.

Amanda is sitting there, blonde hair plastered to her head and borrowed pajamas clinging to her skin, appearing completely stunned, like she has no idea what has just happened, and suddenly bursts into tears.

"Oh, Amanda, it's okay," Olivia murmurs. "Come here." Feeling only concern now, her annoyance disappearing rapidly, she leans into the tub to pull the smaller woman to her feet, untangling her from the nest of soaking wet blankets and helping her step out onto the floor, and gasps when she feels the heat radiating from her body.

"Oh my god, Fin, she's burning up!" Olivia says in alarm, resting her hand against Amanda's forehead, and then reaching out for Carisi. "And so is he," she confirms, her alarm only rising and not sure which of her younger detectives feel warmer at the moment, both of them looking like they are dead on their feet.

"Hey, are you here with me, Fin?" she asks when he doesn't answer right away, the older man not appearing to be as worried as she is about the situation, and he blinks, like one coming out of a heavy trance, his gaze looking unfocused.

"Yeah, sorry, Liv," he replies, seeming to snap out of his daze. "Are they able to take more meds?"

"Yeah, it should be fine to take more now," Olivia says, regarding him with concern for a moment before turning back to her younger colleagues. She gets them both medicated again and then grabs a couple of towels out of the cupboard, slinging them over her shoulder and grasping gently onto Amanda's wrist.

"Okay, Fin, I need to you to look after Carisi for a few minutes while I help Amanda out. Can you do that for me?" she asks, her voice a little more forceful now when the older man is again slow with his reply. "Fin, come on, buddy, look alive here, I need your help. Can you look after Carisi?" she repeats, fixing him with a stern expression, pretty sure he is ill now as well, but the younger members of their group need to take precedence at the moment.

"Yeah, it's fine," he murmurs, with what looks to be an apathetic wave of his hand. "I got him. You go take care of her."

Olivia frowns at him briefly, reaching out to lay a steadying hand on Carisi, who is swaying on his feet. "Okay, we'll be quick," she promises. "Just yell if you need anything."

She holds Amanda firmly around the upper arms and guides her down the hallway, listening to the smaller woman's sniffles, Frannie following quickly behind them, like she can sense that her owner is in distress. As soon as they get back to her bedroom, Amanda immediately tries to climb into Olivia's bed.

"Oh, Amanda, stop!" Olivia says, reaching out to halt the younger woman in her tracks, but when Amanda begins trying to tuck herself under the covers, she grabs the detective around the waist and hauls her back onto the carpet, making sure she is steady on her feet before letting go of her. "You're soaking the sheets. Just hold on for a minute, okay?"

She takes one of the towels and wipes the water and tears from the smaller woman's face before she begins rubbing it through Amanda's sopping wet hair, trying to squeeze as much moisture as she can out of the long blonde strands and then tossing it aside.

"Okay, raise your arms up," she orders tenderly, and when Amanda complies, Olivia peels the drenched pajama shirt over her head, rubbing the other towel briskly over her upper body before leaning down and pulling the equally wet pajama pants down her legs and helping her step out of them. She dries off the rest of her quivering body and then wraps the towel around the smaller woman, gently guiding her to sit down on the edge of the mattress.

"Liv, I thought Fin said I wasn't allowed to sleep naked in your bed," Amanda mumbles in a confused manner, and Olivia feels a slight smirk pulling at her lips before she can stop it.

"You're not, Amanda, I'm just trying to find something else for you to wear."

She quickly rummages around in her chest of drawers, looking for anything else that the smaller woman can use as Amanda seems to be going rapidly through her collection of clothes and pajamas, and pulls out a light blue nightgown that hasn't been worn in years.

She is pulling Amanda's towel off and helping her put the nightgown on over her head, when she hears a voice at the door to the bedroom and whirls around to see Carisi standing there on shaky legs, clutching onto the door frame for support.

"Liv, can I sleep in here again?" he asks, looking as disoriented as Amanda does.

"Hey Carisi, can you hold on a sec?" she says, realizing she had forgotten to close the door and trying to shield Amanda, who still has no clothes on.

She immediately sees that it doesn't matter, as Carisi is paying no attention whatsoever, his gaze focused on the ceiling as if there is something interesting up there to see. She quickly pulls the nightgown over the smaller woman's head and tucks her underneath the covers, before turning back to her other colleague and motioning for him to come inside.

"Come lay down, Carisi. No, not _there_ ," Olivia objects, as he starts to lay down on the floor. "On the _bed_ , Carisi. Jesus," she mumbles, helping him to his feet and tucking him in on the other side of the mattress, before crawling in between the two of them and flopping down onto the sheets with a deep sigh, Frannie hopping up to rest at her feet.

"Oh, god, are we doing this again?" Fin asks wearily, appearing at the door to the room, and shaking his head at the sight of them all lined up in the bed just like the night before.

"Apparently," Olivia murmurs in exhaustion. "It's fine, though. I don't want to leave them alone. Their behavior is scaring the hell out of me and if it wasn't for this weather, I'd probably be taking them both to the hospital."

"Liv, stop babying them," Fin mutters. "It's just the damn flu. They'll get over it."

Olivia raises her eyebrows at him in surprise, looking closely at him. Fin sounds like he has washed his hands of the situation, a tendril of anger weaving its way into his tone, and she notices that he is panting a little, a slight sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead.

"Liv, I don't think I can take this anymore," he confesses, and there is a note of desperation in his tone, the likes of which she has never heard before, his usual chill attitude nowhere to be found.

She rubs her hands over her face in utter exasperation, her eyelids feeling so heavy, she doesn't know how much longer she can hold them open. Olivia stifles another deep sigh and struggles out of the bed, getting to her feet. "Fin, come talk to me in the hallway for a minute, okay?"

"Liv, they're monsters," Fin groans, the second they are out of earshot of the younger detectives. "I want to wring both of their necks."

"Fin, you should know how to handle yourself in tough situations," Olivia chastises quietly. "You used to work undercover in narcotics and you're one of the best detectives we have. You can do this. Just try to exercise some patience."

"I just can't deal with them anymore," he replies, and Olivia is surprised to hear a hint of a whine in his tone now.

"It's okay," she soothes. "They're not acting this way on purpose, Fin. They're really sick. They don't even know what they're doing." She lays a hand on his arm, unsurprised to find that his skin is burning hot to the touch, and she knows her earlier suspicions were correct; that this is more than just frustration over their current situation, the childish, vulnerable behavior of their colleagues, and being cooped up in such a small space with everyone for so long. "And I don't think they're the only ones who are sick," she murmurs in concern. "I knew you were, Fin. Why didn't you say something?"

"You had enough on your plate, Liv," he sighs. "I didn't want to be another burden."

"You're never a burden, okay?" she assures him, squeezing his arm comfortingly. "None of you are. It's just a really shitty weekend, but we're going to get through it. Why don't you take some meds and come lie down with us? That way I can keep an eye on all of you at the same time."

"Liv, where did you go?" Carisi suddenly calls out, blatant alarm lacing his voice. "Did you disappear?"

"I didn't disappear, Carisi, I'm just out in the hallway," she replies, with a sigh. "I'll be right there."

Fin shakes his head, rolling his eyes at her. "Like I said, Liv, you already have enough on your plate. I'm just going to stay out on the couch, in case one of them ends up wanting to go use the spare bed during the night. I'll be fine."

Olivia looks at him for a moment, his eyes bloodshot and watery, and squeezes his arm again. "Come get me if you need anything, Fin, okay?"

He gives her a slight smile as he turns away to head back to the living room. "Okay, Liv. Thanks."

Olivia sighs again as she gets tucked back into bed beside her two needy colleagues, both of them curling into her immediately, and tries not to think about how many germs are in the sheets with them and floating through the air in the room. Her heavy eyelids finally droop closed, and this time they stay shut.

xxxxxxxxxx

When Olivia opens her eyes again, it is to Amanda's voice speaking right into her ear, and she frowns in confusion, noticing is it still dark out, the clock on the nightstand telling her that only a couple of hours have passed. Carisi is shifting restlessly beside her, mumbling at Amanda to be quiet, and Frannie is wrestling with an article of clothing in the corner of the bedroom. She rubs her hands over her face, feeling sluggish, the exhaustion threatening to pull her back under, but when she glances over at the smaller woman, Amanda's blue eyes are wide open and fixed on the ceiling, and she seems to be having a full out conversation with some imaginary person.

"Amanda," Olivia whispers, shaking the other woman gently. "Who are you talking to?"

Amanda doesn't answer her, but Carisi sits up in the bed, sighing harshly and throwing the covers aside. "Liv, I'm going back to the spare room," he says. "She won't shut up. I think my fever has broken and hopefully hers will soon too. She's annoying."

"Well, I'm really glad to hear that, Carisi," Olivia answers, feeling immensely relieved for him but concerned for the small women beside her. "Just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay," he replies. "Thanks, Liv. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight," she says softly, and then turns back to Amanda, shaking her gently again. "Hey, who are you talking to?"

"Bob," the other woman mumbles.

"Bob?" Olivia asks, one eyebrow raised. "Who's that?"

"Huh?" Amanda mutters, finally looking over at her. "Who's what?"

"Who's Bob?"

"What? Bob who?"

"No, I'm asking _you_ ," Olivia says, feeling like she is starting to lose her mind.

"Liv, you're weird," Amanda murmurs. "I don't know anyone named Bob."

Olivia groans softly and closes her eyes. "Okay, just go back to sleep, Amanda."

"Okey-dokey, Liv," the blonde detective replies, and Olivia sighs in relief, but a moment later Amanda is talking again, another imaginary conversation, and this time Olivia leans over to cover the smaller woman's mouth with her hand.

"Amanda, _shush_ ," she says sternly, and then pulls away when she feels the younger woman lick her palm. "Oh, come on, that's gross," she chides gently.

"What's gross?" Amanda mumbles.

"What you just did."

"What did I just do?"

Olivia tries to refrain from picking her pillow up and pressing it against her own face so she can emit a loud scream without alarming anyone. "Amanda, _please_ just go to sleep, okay?" she begs, trying desperately to keep the frustration and impatience out of her voice as she knows the smaller woman's fever hasn't broken yet and she is not in her right mind.

"Well, I'm trying, Liv, but you keep talking," Amanda admonishes, and Olivia can't help the exhausted laugh that escapes her throat, rolling her eyes when the other woman joins in.

"You're quite chatty there, Liv," Amanda giggles. "Has anyone ever told you it's kind of annoying?"

"Oh my god, I'm losing it," Olivia states, rubbing her hands over her face.

"I lost it a long time ago," Amanda confesses, and Olivia can't help but laugh again.

"Yes, I know that, Amanda. It will be a nice change of pace to actually have a somewhat coherent conversation with you at some point this weekend, if that fever ever breaks and you can stay away from the meds and the alcohol."

"Mmm, alcohol," Amanda sighs, a sound of pleasure emitting from her throat, and Olivia snorts.

"That's the last thing you need right now, and I have already explained about the no-alcohol rule. Goodnight, Amanda," she says firmly.

"Night, night, Livvy," the other woman answers, giving her a big smile, her white teeth gleaming in the dark, and Olivia rolls her eyes again, turning away from her and determined to get some sleep, wanting nothing more than to be sucked back down into the sweet oblivion of silence. She feels the blonde detective curl up close behind her, and then she slips into unconsciousness once more.

xxxxxxxxxx

When Olivia awakens again, she is surprised to find herself alone in the bed and also shocked to see that it is already very late in the morning when she glances at the clock. She can hear the TV playing in the living room and the clinking of dishes in the kitchen, voices low in conversation. There is bright sunshine streaming in through the bedroom window and she squints a little, realizing she had forgotten to close the blinds, and is relieved to see that it looks like it has finally stopped snowing. She stretches languidly, enjoying the feeling of being able to move freely in the bed, and she swings her legs over the side of the mattress, her stomach giving a sudden lurch and she presses a hand against her mouth, closing her eyes for a moment as the room spins around her.

Trying to convince herself that she is still hungover and it is not the flu, Olivia gets unsteadily to her feet and shuffles into the hallway. She can hear Amanda and Carisi's voices in the kitchen, sounding like they are having some sort of argument, but she hears nothing at all from Fin, and sees the older man laying stock still on the couch in the living room, his expression ashen, shivering underneath several blankets despite how warm it is inside the apartment now. There is a bucket beside him on the floor and Frannie is sprawled at his feet, her tail wagging in greeting when she spots Olivia.

"Oh, Fin," she murmurs in concern, laying a hand against his burning hot forehead, and goes into the bathroom to soak a cold cloth to lay against his skin. Fin opens his hazy eyes briefly, muttering his thanks, and then closes them again, a soft snore emitting from his mouth a second later.

When Olivia walks into the kitchen, she is surprised to see Amanda and Carisi sitting at the table, both freshly showered with wet hair slicked back from their faces, munching on bowls of cereal. Carisi is wearing the same clothes for the third day in a row and Amanda is clad in yet another one of Olivia's outfits, apparently having rifled through her closet at some point while she had been asleep, and Olivia thinks it might be a good idea to do some laundry at some point that day, as Fin is also still wearing the same clothes he had arrived in on Friday.

"Wow, you guys seem to be doing a lot better," she comments in relief, sitting down at the table with them.

"Yeah, we are," Carisi replies. "Both of us still have fevers but they're not nearly as bad. And neither of us have thrown up so far today. And it's easier to think now too."

"That's great," Olivia answers with enthusiasm, glad to see her detectives back on their feet, and it gives her hope for Fin and for herself that this flu, although harsh and unpleasant, only seems to be lasting a day or two.

She wanders away to the balcony door to check the progress of things outside, and feels another wave of relief when she sees that it has indeed stopped snowing, the pile of snow leaning against the glass having shrunk a small amount and the bright sunshine doing its job to help melt everything. The snowplows are busy down on the streets and she watches people digging their cars out from the side of the road with shovels. It is still nice and warm in the apartment and she is hopeful that life will be returning to normal at some point soon, but then swallows down another persistent wave of nausea, trying again to ignore it.

Opting to just have a bottle of water for breakfast instead of actual food, Olivia takes a seat on the couch after Fin drags himself to his feet and staggers into the bathroom, telling her that he desperately needs a shower, and she winces as she listens to him throw up a few times before the water turns on. Carisi is in the spare bedroom and Amanda comes to sit down on the couch beside her, idly flipping through the TV channels.

"I'm glad you're doing so much better, Amanda," Olivia says to her. "Things got a bit rough during the night. You scared me."

"I'm glad I'm doing better too, Liv," the smaller woman replies. "Thank you for taking such good care of me. I think I scared myself too."

"You're welcome," Olivia replies, and they sit there contentedly together for a few minutes, watching an old sitcom from the eighties.

"You know, I've actually enjoyed spending the weekend with you guys," Amanda says. "It gets lonely being all by myself in my apartment, just Frannie for company. Wouldn't it be fun to be roommates?" she adds offhandedly, and Olivia suddenly chokes on the bottle of water she has been sipping on, sputtering for a moment before catching her breath and fixing the smaller woman with an incredulous look.

"You know, I don't think that will be happening, Amanda," she replies lightly, patting the blonde detective's knee.

"Why not?" Amanda asks, frowning slightly and Olivia just shakes her head in return.

"Where would you like me to start? You're my subordinate, for one thing, so I'm sure it's against the rules. And how shall I put this gently..." Olivia trails off for a moment before speaking again. "Every time you drink alcohol or take medication or get sick, you're incapable of coherent thought or conversation and need to be cuddled and consoled like a giant toddler. Not to mention the fact that I'm afraid you're going to strangle me in my sleep every time we share a bed. You're a bit of a suffocating sleeper, Amanda. I had no idea you were the touchy-feely type."

Amanda is staring at her now with both eyebrows raised before finally shrugging, a smile pulling at one corner of her mouth. "Huh. Well, I guess those are pretty good reasons."

Olivia smiles back at her, patting her knee again. "Yeah, I thought so too."

"I guess we've all learned some new things about each other this weekend," Amanda chuckles.

"Yes, much more than I've ever wanted to know," Olivia laughs, rolling her eyes, and they share a grin.

She suddenly hears Fin's voice coming from the bathroom and frowns, putting the TV on mute and looking over to see Carisi pausing as he walks by the door, obviously having heard his co-worker as well.

"What's he saying, Carisi? I can't hear him. Does he need help with something?"

Carisi listens for a moment and then smiles. "Yes, he does," the younger man snickers. "Fin says he's too weak to continue with his shower and needs someone to give him a sponge bath."

Olivia can hear Fin's voice now, loud and clear as the older man protests vehemently, and she rolls her eyes.

Carisi has his hand cupped against the door now, his ear pressed to the grain of wood, listening in dramatic fashion. "He says he wants Amanda to give him the sponge bath."

"Fat chance of that," the blonde woman snorts.

"Carisi, what is he _actually_ saying?" Olivia asks with a weary sigh.

Carisi chuckles, apparently quite amused with himself, and turns away from the door. "He says he threw up on his clothes and needs something else to wear."

"Okay," Olivia replies, getting to her feet. "That might be a bit of an issue, but I can look and see what I have."

"Fin says he would prefer to wear a dress," Carisi adds smugly, and Olivia can hear the older man snarling from inside the bathroom as she strides quickly into her room in search of something appropriate.

She digs through her closet and drawers, trying to come up with something that will fit him, and bites her lip when she comes across the only thing that will, very reluctant as she passes the article of clothing into the bathroom and he takes it from her without complaint. When he comes out of the room a moment later, she has to bite her lip again as hard as she can to hold in the laughter that is threatening to break loose, not wanting to make fun of her ill colleague.

Fin is clad in a fluffy purple robe of Olivia's, another ill-conceived birthday present from years past that she has never used, as it is too big and girly, since that is the only article of clothing she owns that will fit the man. It is a true testament to just how ill he must be feeling that he doesn't even object to wearing something so ridiculous, doesn't voice his opinion at all on the subject and just seems relieved to have something to wear other than the clothes he has been stuck in for the past couple of days.

Amanda and Carisi, on the other hand, seem highly amused by the situation, and can hardly contain their laughter when Fin walks out of the bathroom and joins them on the couch in the living room, crossing his legs and staring straight ahead at the TV, apparently choosing not to acknowledge his co-workers' taunting. Olivia sighs, wishing her younger colleagues shared her tact and were able to better contain their feelings on the subject.

"Awww, who's a pretty girl, Finny?" Amanda teases. "You are," she adds, poking him lightly in the side when he glares at her. "You're a pretty girl."

"Liv, I think we should amend the rules a bit while we're here," Fin states firmly. "Along with the no-alcohol rule, there should be a no-talking rule that specifically applies to Amanda."

"Awww, Fin, you're a cutie pie," Carisi snickers, reaching over to smooth his fingers over the soft material, and Fin slaps his hand away.

"And Carisi," he adds.

"You know, that's not a bad rule," Olivia replies.

"Liv, you have the oddest collection of stuff in this apartment," Amanda says, shaking her head as she continues to stare at the robe with a mixture of disbelief and fascination. "Twister, a karaoke machine, the fluffiest robe I have ever seen in my life. Seriously, what's this thing made out of?" She also receives a slap to the hand from Fin when she reaches out to touch the garment. "This isn't really the boss I've come to know over the past several years. I think you live some strange secret life in here when you're not at work."

"Amanda, I've already explained that most of this stuff were gifts for birthdays, and some were for Christmas," Olivia sighs, rolling her eyes. "I don't actually use any of it."

"Do people even know you at all?" Amanda answers, raising her eyebrows. "It's like they went to a store for the world's dorkiest teenage girl and picked out whatever was in there."

Carisi laughs in agreement. "Yeah, Liv, it's been interesting seeing this different side to you since we've been stuck here this weekend."

"There is no different side to me," Olivia argues, feeling as annoyed as Fin currently looks. "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't use this stuff? I'm just too polite to get rid of it, okay? I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings."

"Liv, I think you're protesting a little too much there," Amanda whispers, patting her condescendingly on the knee. "You can be honest with us, since we've all become so much closer this weekend. No secrets, alright? Are you actually a teenage girl trapped in the body of a menopausal woman?"

"Menopausal?" Carisi snorts, his eyebrows flying up in alarm, his gaze swinging back and forth between Amanda and Olivia in a horrified manner, like he knows Amanda has taken the joking a step too far and he is afraid Olivia is going to explode. Fin just emits a deep sigh, as if he just wants all of them to go away.

Olivia is staring hard at the younger woman, her eyebrows pulled together in a deep frown, and Amanda grins shyly at her, holding her hands up in front of her in surrender. "Sorry, Liv," she chuckles. "I was just echoing what Miranda said yesterday."

"Try not to put too much stock in what Miranda has to say," Olivia replies, rolling her eyes.

"Who's Miranda?" Carisi asks.

"Liv's superintendent," Amanda answers. "Miranda has a crush on her."

"Amanda, honestly!" Olivia snaps. "I think that no-talking rule needs to come into affect right now."

"Hey, I have a fever and I'm on medication-" Amanda starts to say in her own defense, and Olivia rolls her eyes again.

"Stop trying to blame everything on the flu meds and the fever," she suggests. "You're a lot better now than you were earlier, but you still can't seem to control what comes out of that mouth of yours. I suggest you starting trying, alright?"

"Alright," Amanda answers, a blush highlighting her pale cheeks now, but she is still smiling at Olivia, a twinkle of mischief dancing in her blue eyes, and Olivia shakes her head, trying to suppress the grin that is threatening to spread across her face at her colleague's ridiculous behavior.

The weekend seems to have descended into a free-for-all of inappropriate personal topics of discussion and physical closeness, and Olivia is honestly not sure if she will be relieved when they return to their usual work relationships or if she will miss this odd intimacy and silliness that she has become accustomed to over the past couple of days. She doesn't have much in the way of family, or friends either for that matter, and as utterly and completely annoying as her colleagues are, she has to admit that she does find them somewhat enjoyable and endearing, if a tad disrespectful at times. If anything, they are at least entertaining, and Olivia finds it hard to believe that she was initially worried that everyone would be too bored during their stay here. This weekend has been a lot of things, but boring hasn't been one of them.

"Amanda, I think we are going to have to address your boundary issues at some point in the near future," Olivia murmurs, shaking her head again. "You seem to have an irritating inability to stay out of my personal business. And my closet," she adds, motioning to the outfit the other woman is wearing.

"And your bed," Carisi snickers.

"Hey, I _tried_ to sleep elsewhere last night," Amanda argues. "But _someone_ turned the shower on in the middle of the night."

"Well, a bathtub is a stupid place to sleep anyway," Carisi mutters. "And my fever was so high, I didn't even know where I was."

"Yeah, I didn't know where I was either," Amanda chuckles. "This flu has been a bit scary, to be honest."

"Well, at least it doesn't seem to be lasting long," Olivia replies, glancing over at Fin, who definitely looks the sickest now. She can't help reaching out to pat his hand in concern as he looks so vulnerable all wrapped up in her robe, so unlike his usual tough persona, and he glances back at her, giving her a slight smile.

"I would just love to know what else is in this apartment," Amanda continues, as if Olivia hadn't just brought up the topic of boundary issues. "It would be fun to go exploring. It's not like we have much else to do at this point, besides waiting for the snowplows to get the streets cleared."

"Perhaps you could find something more productive to occupy the rest of your time here," Olivia replies dryly, wanting to steer the conversation away from the contents of her apartment. "Since the two of you are feeling so much better, maybe you could make yourselves useful around here and start cleaning up the catastrophic messes you have all made over the last couple of days," she adds, addressing her younger colleagues. "I haven't been able to keep up with everything. Once one mess has been cleaned up, another one just seems to magically appear."

"Well, it doesn't help that Amanda seems to be trying to find the most creative and original places to vomit," Carisi laughs, and the blonde detective elbows him in the side.

"And sleep," Fin adds. "You're an original girl, Amanda, you know that?"

"Well, thanks," the small woman mumbles, seemingly unable to decide whether or not to be offended.

Olivia gets to her feet and looks sternly down at her younger teammates, making sure they are both listening to her. "I'm going to take a shower and when I come out, I expect this apartment to be spic and span, understood? And leave Fin alone while he's sick."

"Yeah, guys," she hears Fin mumble as walks into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "Leave me the hell alone."

Olivia takes a long and refreshing shower, making sure to take her time and enjoy the time to herself. She leans her head against the tiles, closing her eyes as the hot water beats down upon her, perking her up a little, but the queasiness in her stomach is very persistent as she wraps a towel around herself and gets dressed in the bedroom, and she feels a tendril of apprehension, pretty sure by this point that the flu is about to knock her right on her ass.

When she walks back into the kitchen, wet hair brushed and hanging to her shoulders, dressed in fresh, comfortable clothes, Olivia is relieved to see that the apartment looks to be in much better shape now, but then stops short as she notices a large pool of slushy water on the floor by the balcony door. She frowns suspiciously, also noticing that the pile of snow that had been leaning against the outside of the glass appears to be disturbed and looks much shorter than it had before she had gotten into the shower.

Amanda and Carisi are both standing in the kitchen, wet patches on their clothing, their gazes fixed intently on her, Amanda all innocence but Carisi radiating guilt. Olivia crosses her arms in front of her and stares back at them, one eyebrow arched in question.

"Please tell me you weren't having a snowball fight in my apartment while I was in the shower," she states, and hears Fin's snort of laughter from the living room.

"Okay, we won't tell you," Carisi replies sheepishly, grabbing a tea towel from the rack on the oven and kneeling down on the floor to wipe up the water.

Olivia shakes her head, locking eyes with Amanda while Carisi is bent over, the other woman raising her eyebrows and smiling angelically at her.

"And you want to be my roommate," she mutters in disbelief. "I can't even get through a shower without something happening when you're around, Amanda."

"I just like to keep things interesting, Liv," Amanda replies cheekily, and Olivia rolls her eyes.

"Oh, is that what you've been doing? Keeping things interesting?"

Before the other woman can respond, a sudden sharp wave of nausea slams into her, and Olivia claps a hand over her mouth, racing into the bathroom and collapsing onto her knees in front of the toilet, vomiting three times is quick succession. She sits back on her heels, breathing hard and wiping a hand over her mouth, and sees all three of her colleagues gathered around the bathroom door, asking if she is okay and ready to assist her with anything she needs. She feels both grateful and irritated by the attention, and flaps a hand at them, requesting privacy.

She throws up several more times, her stomach clenching painfully, and then slumps down onto the floor, letting out a soft moan.

Olivia becomes aware of the fact that Amanda is back in the bathroom with her, obviously having ignored her pleas for privacy, the smaller woman squatting down on the floor next to her, rubbing a soothing hand over her hair and then down her back. "Liv, I know this is a bad time, but I need to mention a couple of things."

"Ugh, what things?" Olivia asks, with no small amount of trepidation.

"Well, Frannie just threw up in the living room again, and we think the heat has stopped working."

"What? _Again_?" Olivia is incredulous on both accounts, especially with the temperature issues that have not stopped plaguing this building for over a week now.

"Yeah," Amanda replies, sounding very apologetic. "But no worries, I'm going to clean up Frannie's mess and Carisi is going to go downstairs to talk to Miranda, okay? We're going to take care of things for you."

Olivia sighs, resting her head directly on the toilet seat, not sure if she should be comforted or scared by the fact that her teammates are taking charge of the situation.

Amanda's hand continues to rub comforting circles over her back for a moment, and then the other woman gets to her feet. "Let me know if you need anything, Liv. I'll be right in the living room."

Olivia nods and then gets up on her knees to vomit again, not even bothering to shut the door behind the younger woman. She listens to the noise in the next room; the TV blaring, Fin and Carisi arguing, Amanda gently admonishing her pet for throwing up yet again and Frannie barking back at her, and she closes her eyes, unable to remember what silence is like and wondering if it will ever be quiet in this apartment again.

She hears a sudden gasp and then Amanda is at the door once more, looking down at her with a worried expression, like she is afraid of Olivia's reaction. "Uh oh, Liv."

"What now?" she replies wearily.

"Well, Fin just turned on the weather channel..."

Olivia can feel her heart tightening in her chest as she waits for Amanda to continue speaking, and she squeezes her eyes shut and groans when she hears the blonde detective's next words.

"There's another snowstorm headed our way."


End file.
